STUDIES 


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tihvaxy  of  t:he  theological  ^tminary 

PRINCETON  .  NEW  JERSEY 

FROM  THE  LIBRARY  OF 
ROBERT  ELLIOTT  SPEER 


BV  2060  .P5  1908 
Pfeiffer,  Edward,  b.  1857. 
Mission  studies 


tCcA 


^  OF  FHi^cer^ 

APR    1   1959 

MISSION  STUDlttHLJ^''"^ 


Outlines  of  Missionary  Principles 
and  Practice 


By  EDWARD   PFEIFFER 

Professor  of  Theology  in  the  Ev.  Lutheran  Seminary, 
Capital  University,   Columbus,  Ohio 


For  Study  in  School,  Church  and  Home 


COLUMBUS,    OHIO 

LUTHERAN  BOOK  CONCERN 

19  0  8 


COPYRIGHT,    1908 
By  EDWARD  PFEIFFER 


Who  throughout  her  life  has  been  a  warm  friend  and 

liberal  supporter  of  missions,  and  who  now  in 

her  89th  year  still  follows  with  ardent 

interest  the  victories  of  the  Church  Militant,  while  she 

is  looking   longingly   toward  the  glories  of  the 

Church  Triumphant. 


PREFACE. 


THIS  little  book  has  grown  out  of  the  necessity  placed 
upon  the  author  and  the  opportunities  that  have  come 
to  him  in  his  work  in  the  Church.  It  is  the  product  of  some 
experience  in  the  pastorate  and  in  the  class  room,  the  out- 
come of  convictions  growing  and  gradually  maturing. 

The  immediate  occasion  for  the  publication  was  fur- 
nished by  my  outlines  and  notes,  which  I  have  been  using 
for  several  years  in  my  seminary  classes  as  a  basis  for  a 
series  of  lectures  and  studies  in  Evangehstics.  The  irksome- 
ness  of  dictation  and  the  time  consumed  in  the  operation 
suggested  the  desirability  of  being  able  to  place  the  outlines 
in  complete  and  printed  form  in  the  hands  of  the  students. 
The  purpose,  therefore,  with  which  I  set  out  upon  the 
preparation  of  the  work  for  the  press  was  its  use  as  a  text 
book  in  my  own  classes. 

Out  of  this  main  purpose  there  grew,  in  the  process  of 
recasting  and  developing  the  material  in  hand,  the  secondary 
thought,  that  by  further  elaboration  of  certain  parts  I  might 
make  the  work  helpful  to  pastors  both  in  the  missionary 
studies  which  they  ought  to  continue  through  life  and  in 
the  missionary  work  which  they  are  called  upon  to  perform 
and  direct  in  their  congregations.  The  pastor  as  leader  and 
pleader  of  the  Lord's  cause  and  work  must,  by  study  and 
extended  reading,  deepen  the  roots  and  broaden  the  view  of 
his  missionary  life.  Possibly  this  little  book  may  prove  to 
some  a  stimulating  and  suggestive  help  in  this  regard.  The 
author  even  indulges  the  hope  that  at  least  some  parts  of  the 
work  may  adapt  themselves  for  use  in  mission  study  classes 
and  young  people's  societies.  If  under  the  leadership  of 
our  pastors  the  young  people  of  their  congregations  are 
thoroughly  indoctrinated  in  the  leading  principles  of  mis- 
sions, we  may  confidently  expect  a  growth  of  health  and 
breadth  of  missionary  practice. 

5) 


6  PREFACE. 

With  these  somewhat  diverse  and  yet  closely  united 
aims  in  view,  I  have  endeavored  to  make  the  elaboration  of 
my  original  outlines  as  largely  and  broadly  useful  as  pos- 
sible, at  the  risk  of  sacrificing  scientific  form  and  appear- 
ance. Keeping  the  condition  and  needs  of  our  churches  be- 
fore me,  I  have  at  once  aimed  at  simplicity  and  comprehen- 
siveness. Elementary  principles  and  general  truths,  with 
copious  references  and  suggestions,  are  presented  in  com- 
pact form  as  a  basis  for  further  study.  If  this  book  fails  to 
supply  incentives  to  further  investigation  and  to  continued 
reading  of  missionary  literature,  it  fails  in  its  chief  purpose. 

We  ought  to  realize  that  this  is  a  life-work  for  the 
Christian,  both  the  pastor  and  the  layman.  The  work  of 
missions  is  before  us  and  upon  us  as  a  pressing  call  to  per- 
petual labor.  The  history  of  missions  is  an  unfinished  book, 
—  a  growing  library,  in  fact.  Beginning  with  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles,  an  inspired  record  of  apostolic  missions,  the 
chronicles  of  Christian  missions  extend  down  to  the  present 
day,  when  current  events  in  mission  fields  throughout  the 
world  are  published  in  innumerable  periodicals  and  books.  It 
is  a  record  of  heroic  endeavor,  of  fulfilment  of  divine 
promises,  of  triumphs  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  of  realization 
of  the  highest  ideals  of  life. 

Is  the  Church  in  need  of  defending  her  faith  today?  In 
this  day  of  skepticism  and  growing  infidelity  the  study  of 
missions  aflfords  glimpses  of  Christian  evidences  whose  argu- 
ments are  ovc "whelming  and  unanswerable.  In  the  pursuit 
of  the  study,  whether  theoretical,  along  the  line  of  funda- 
mental principles,  or  historical,  in  biography  and  other  forms, 
personal  faith  is  revived,  invigorated  and  enlarged. 

As  to  the  merits  of  this  little  manual,  while  I  am  pre- 
pared for  criticisms  and  shall  endeavor  to  profit  by  them,  I 
only  plead  that  the  character  and  plan  of  the  work  be  not 
overlooked.  It  is  not  a  narrative  to  be  read  or  to  be  hastily 
perused  for  an  hour's  entertainment.  It  is  no  thrilling  story 
which  might  hope  to  sustain  interest  by  recounting  events 
fp.scinatingly  presented.  Such  stories  and  monographs  exist 
in  large  numbers.  But  here  I  aim  simply  at  the  presentation 
of  missionary  principles,  more  or  less  elementary,  and  these 
in   outlint-   only   briefly  developed,   as   a  basis   for  the  intelli- 


PREFACE.  7 

gent  grasp  of  the  whole  subject,  as  an  incentive  for  pro- 
gressive  study  and  energetic  prosecution  of  the   work. 

xA.mong  the  many  works  which  have  been  consulted  and 
used  and  are  referred  to  in  the  following  pages,  special 
acknov/ledgment  is  due  and  is  herewith  gratefully  given  to 
Dr.  Warneck's  classical  work  entitled,  "Evangelische  Mis- 
sionslehre,"  from  v^^hich  I  have  freely  gathered  valuable 
material,  particularly  that  pertaining  to  the  ground  or  basis 
of  mission  work.  To  those  who  desire  to  pursue  further  the 
scientific  and  theoretical  study  of  the  missionary  enterprise 
this  work,  which,  in  point  of  thoroughness  and  completeness, 
surpasses  any  work  that  has  as  yet  appeared  either  in  Ger- 
man or  in  English,  is  especially  recommended. 

That  this  unpretentious  manual  may  be  of  some  service 
to  students,  pastors  and  people  in  understanding,  appreciat- 
ing, presenting  and  practicing  the  great  work  of  missions,  — 
the  greatest  work  which  the  Lord  has  given  us  to  do,  —  this 
is  my  hope  and  my  prayer.  E.  P. 

Columbus.  O.,  August.  1908. 


CONTENTS- 


Preface    o 

FIRST  PART. 

Missionary  Principles  in  General,  with  Particular  Reference 
to  the  Foreign  Missionary  Enterprise. 

1.    INTRODUCTORY. 

Chapter  I.     The  Science  of  Christian  Missions 19 

1.  Is  there  such  a  science  ? 19 

2.  Two  classes  of  literature:  a.  The  history 
of  missions;  b.  The  theory  or  principles  of  mis- 
sions.    List  of  typical  works  in  each  department.  .       20 

3.  Missionary  principles  and  problems.  De- 
velopment of  the  science  of  missions 24 

Chapter  II.     The  Scope  of  the  Missionary  Principles.  .       26 

1.  What  is  embraced  under  the  head  of  mis- 
sionary principles  ?  —  Three  general  heads  :  a. 
The  purpose  and  aim  of  missions;  b  The  ground 
or  basis  of  missions ;    c.  The  means  and   methods 

of  the  work  26 

2.  Explanation  of  terms.  Various  titles  sug- 
gested for  the  science.  Evangelistics  seems  to  be 
preferred     28 

Chapter  III.     The  Place  of  Missions  in  Theology  and  in 


Christianity    •^2 

1.  How    determined  ?    32 

2.  The  place  of  the  science  of  missions  in  the- 
ology. Two  questions  discussed :  a.  The  place  of 
missionary  thoughts  in  the  older  branches  of  theol- 
ogy; b.  The  feasibility  and  desirability  of  the  in- 
dependent development  of  the  science   of  missions.     32 

3.  The  place  of  missions  in  educational  insti- 
tutions           35 

(9) 


10  CONTENTS. 

4.  The  place  of  missions  in  the  Christian  life 
and  in  the  work  of  the  Church,  a.  Only  prelimi- 
nary consideration  of  this  topic  here;  b.  The  same 
place  in  both  spheres ;  c.  Missions  claim  a  pri- 
mary, dominating  place  in  Christianity 30 

Recapitulation    of   section    1 37 

11.     THE  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 

Chapter    IV.     Unity    and   Diversity    of   the   Missionary 

Enterprise -^'9 

1.  The  unity  of  the  missionary  enterprise...       39 

2.  Three  distinguishable  spheres  or  depart- 
ments :  a.  Home  missions ;  b.  Inner  missions ;  c. 
Foreign   missions    40 

3.  Diversity  of  operations,  but  the  same  Lord, 
the  same  faith,  the  same  end :  a.  The  unity  of  the 
work  is  apparent  from  the  definitions  given;  b. 
There  are  decided  advantages  to  be  gained  from 
this  view;  c.  Answer  to  objections  made;  d.  This 
view  is  supported  by  Scripture  and  confirmed  by 
apostolic    missions    41 

4.  The  scope  of  the  present  discussion  of  the 
'missionary    enterprise.       Three    general    heads:     I. 

The    Missionary' ;     II.     The    Ground    of    Miss'ion 
Work;    III.  Missionary  Means  and  Methods 45 

I.     The    Missionary. 

Chapter   V.     His   Charaeter  and   QuaMcations 47 

1.  General  Importance  of  the  subject  for  all 
Christians    and    Christian    workers 47 

2.  Fundamental  character  and  characteris- 
tics: a.  Spiritual  gifts  of  faith  and  love;  b.  Intel- 
ligent and  whole-souled  interest  in  the  missionary 
enterprise    48 

3.  Special  qualifications  of  the  missionary : 
a.  Physical  health  and  strength  ;  b.  Intellectual  gifts 
and  acquirements:  (1)  The  gift  of  teaching;  (2) 
The  gift  of  leadership.  —  Willingness  to  go  where- 
ever  the  Lord  calls  or  sends 50 

Chapter  VI.     His  Commission 54 


CONTENTS.  11 

1.  Necessity   of  competent  authority  and  or- 

der^    54 

2.  Divine  authority  and  commission :  a.  The 
mission  of  the  apostles ;  b.  The  sending  forth  of 
later  missionaries  5t} 

3.  Churchly  authorit}^  and  commission :  a. 
Independent  societies;    b.   Church   administration..       58 

4.  Corresponding  duty  of  the  Church  :  a.  The 
supply  of  men  and  training  of  missionaries ;  b.  Mo- 
ral and  financial  support  of  the  missionaries 03 

Chapter  VII.     His  Mission.     The  Purpose  and  Aim  of 

Missions    07 

1.  The  real  aim  of  missions  is  not  civiliza- 
tion and  culture  :  a.  Christian  missions  show  large 
results    along    this    line;    b.    Value    to    be   attached 

to    these    results 07 

2.  The  real  aim  of  missions  is  salvation  from 
sin  and  death:  a.  The  aim — how  determined?  b. 
The  aim  more  carefully  defined  and  explained. 
Prevailing  confusion  in  use  of  the  terms  evangeli- 
zation and  Christianization ;  c.  The  end  of  the 
work  of  foreign  missions 72 

Recapitulation  of  chapters  IV  to  VII 77 

JI.     The  Grouxd  of  Mission  Work. 

Chapter  VIII.     The  Nature  and  Scope  of  this  Section.       79 

1.  The  foundation  on  which  the  enterprise 
rests 79 

2.  The  scope  of  the  missionary  basis :  a. 
The  Scripture  Ground ;  b.  The  Dogmatical  and 
Ethical  Ground ;  c.  The  Churchly  Ground ;  d.  The 
Historical  Ground    79 

3.  The  ground  in  which  the  work  is  rooted 
supplies  the  proper  motives.  The  supreme  motive, 
"the    love    of    Christ." 80 

Chapter  IX.     The  Scripture  Ground 82 

Missionary  Thoughts  and  Roots  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment   82 

1.     General  reflections   on  the   subject 82 


12  CONTENTS. 

2.  Character   of    the    missionary   thoughts   in 

the  Old  Testament 83 

3.  Some  leading  and  typical  Old  Testament 
missionary  thoughts:  (1)  The  universal  covenant 
of  God  with  mankind ;  (2)  The  brotherhood  of  man- 
kind; (3)  The  first  evangel  message;  (4)  The  call 
of  Abraham  and  the  covenant-promise  given  him ; 
(5)  The  period  of  prophecy,  culminating  in  the 
"Servant  of  Jehovah";  (6)  Jonah,  an  Old  Testa- 
ment missionary;  (7)  Providential  leadings  and 
events :  a.  The  dispersions ;  b.  the  Septuagint ;  c. 
The  synagogues    83 

Chapter  X.     The  Scripture  Ground.      (Continued.)  ••■  •       97 
Missionary  Thoughts  and  Fruits  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment        97 

Scope  of  the  present  treatise.     Confined  to  the 

Gospels  and  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 97 

Missionary   Thoughts  in  the  Words  of  Christ 97 

1.  General  principles,  preliminary  and  fun- 
damental :  a.  The  Kingdom  of  God ;  b.  The  Son  of 
Man    99 

2.  Missionary  references  and  declarations,  in- 
troducing and  preparing  the  way  for  the  Great 
Command:  a.  The  name  "Apostles";  b.  Citations 
from  the  Old  Testament :  c.  Direct  declarations  of 
missionary  thoughts    105 

3.  The  Great  Commission  Ill 

Chapter  XL     The  Scripture  Ground.     (Concluded.)...     115 

Missionary  Thoughts  in   the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.     115 

1.  Introductory  remarks  and  reflections :  a. 
Christ,  as  Lord,  in  and  among  His  peonle ;  b.  The 
activity  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  c.  The  narrative  covers 
a  brief  space  of  time,  but  a  large  territory ;    d.  It  is 

an   uncompleted  book 115 

2.  General  plan  and  outline  of  the  book....  117 

3.  More    detailed    study    of    salient    passages.  118 

Introductory.     Chapter  I   118 

First  part.  Ch.  2-12 :  Spreading  of  the  Gos- 
pel among  the  Jews 119 


CONTENTS.  IS 

Stcond    part.      Ch.    lS-28 :  Spreading    of    the 

Gospel   among  the  Gentiles    129 

First  misisonary  tour,  ch.  13,  2-14,  28 129 

Second  missionary  tour,  ch.   15,  36-18,  22 132 

Third  missionary  tour,  ch.  18,  28-21,  14 134 

Chapter    XII.      The   Dogmatical   and    Ethical    Ground.     139 

1.  Meaning  and  significance  of  this  ground. 
A  view  of  God's  missionary  thoughts  from  the 
standpoint  of  Christian  doctrine  and   duty 139 

2.  Some  of  the  leading  doctrines  examined, 
by  way  of  illustration :  a.  The  doctrine  of  God ; 
b.  The  doctrine  of  sin;  c.  The  doctrine  of  Christ; 
d.  The  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith;  e.  Christ's 
second  advent  and  the  final  judgment 141 

Chapter   XIII.     The  Churchly   Ground 148 

1.  The  Christian  Church  a  missionary 
Church.      Missionary    ^3;    birth;     by    appointment; 

by  inner  necessity 148 

2.  The  reflex  influence  of  missions  on  the 
home    church    149 

Chapter  XIV.     The  Historical  Ground 152 

1.  The  Lord  is  King:    in  the  world,  as  well 

as  in   Zion 152 

2.  The  providence  of  God  in  missions. 
Manifest  in  the  conjunction  of  two  epochal  events: 

an  opened   world,   and  a  prepared  church 152 

8.  This  truth  illustrated  in  the  three  great 
missionary  periods :  a.  The  period  of  apostolic  and 
post-apostolic  missions ;  b.  The  period  of  medieval 

missions;  c.  The  period  of  modern  missions 154 

Recapitulation   of  chapters   VITI   to   XIV....      160 

III.     Missionary   Means   and    Methods. 

Chapter  XV.     Character  of  the  Means 163 

1.  Not    carnal,    but    spiritual.      Required    by 

the  very  nature  of  the  Gospel  and  of  Christianity.      163 

2.  The  Word  of  God,  the  fundamental  and 
final  reliance :  a.  The  spoken  Word ;  b.  The  Word 
in  the  form  of  "living  epistles" :  c.  The  printed 
Word    


165 


14  CONTENTS. 

Chapter  XVI.     Main  Methodical  Lines  of  the   Work..      167 

1.  Direct  evangelism :  a.  It  assumes  vari- 
ous forms:  (1)  Private  conversation  and  inter- 
view; (2)  Formal  preaching  to  a  larger  or  smaller 
gathering;  (3)  A  regular  course  of  instruction; 
b.  It  leads  to  organized  centers  of  operation;  c. 
The  question  of  self-support  and  self-govern- 
ment          167 

2.  Indirect  evangelistic  effort :  a.  Educa- 
tion:  (1)  Primary  schools;  (2)  Secondary  or 
academic  schools;  (3)  Professional  schools;  b. 
Literary  work ;   c.    Medical   missions 170 

Recapitulation   of   the   First    Part 174 

SECOND  PART. 
Home  and  Inner  Missions.     The  Missionary  Life. 

Chapter  XVII.     Character  and  Scope  of  this  Part 179 

1.  Home  and  inner  missions 179 

2.  The  development  of  the  missionary  spirit  179 

3.  Elementary,    but    still   needful 180 

I.  HOME  MISSION  WORK. 

Chapter   XVI IT.     The  Field   and  Aim   of  Home   Mis- 
sions          181 

1.  The  relation  of  home  missions  to  other 
activities  of  the  Church :  a.  Home  misison  work 
comes  first  in  the  Biblical  and  the  natural  order 
of  work ;  b.  Home  mission  work  supplies  the 
basis  of  other  churchly  operations;  c.  Home  mis- 
sions   and    general    benevolence 181 

2.  A  survey  of  the  home  mission  field :  a. 
As  to  extent;  b.  The  material:  (1)  Professed 
Christians  in  need  of  the  Church;  (2)  The  un- 
churched masses,  both  native  and  alien:  c.  Char- 
acter  of   the   material 185 

3.  The  home  missionary  aim:  a.  Not  re- 
form merely,  but  regeneration ;  b.  Not  societies 
for  ethical  culture,  but  self-supporting  Christian 
churches     188 


CONTENTS.  15 

Chapter    XIX.     The    Forces    mid    Methods    of    Home 

Missions    191 

1.  The  home  missionary  forces :  a.  The 
Christian  churches  of  our  land;  b.  Are  the 
Christian  churches  equal  to  the  task?  (1)  In 
point  of  numbers;  (2)  Conditions  of  success:  aa. 
Possession  of  the  one  thing  needful.  —  the  Gospel ; 
bb.  Power  in  plying  and  applying  that  one  thing; 
cc.  Wisdom  and  courage  in  applying  the  one  thing 

in  the  right  way 1  f^l 

2.  Home    missionary    means    and    methods : 

a.  Evangelism;  b.  Education:  (1)  Primary  and 
secondary  schools  ;  the  Sunday  school,  the  congre- 
gational school;    (2)    Schools  of  higher  education; 

c.  Literary   work ;    d.    Charities 196 

11.     INNER  MISSION  WORK. 

Chapter  XX.     Distinctive  Character  of  the  Work 203 

1.  Works  of  mercy  joined  with  ministrations 
of  the  Gospel :  a.  How  distinguished  from  home 
mission  work;  b.  Identified,  in  part,  with  home 
mission  work    '-'03 

2.  Occasion  for  inner  mission  work :  a.  A 
summary  view  of  the  history  of  the  work ;  b. 
Conditions   today,   and  in  our  country 207 

3.  Justification  of  mission  work  in  this 
form :    a.  The  spirit  of  the  Gospel ;  b.  The  example 

of  Christ ;  c.  The  missionary  command 211 

4.  The  aim  as  distinguished  from  the  meth- 
ods :     a.  The  aim  is  salvation  from  sin  and  death ; 

b.  The  methods  vary  according  to  the  needs 212 

Chapter   XXI.     Principal  Methods  of  the    Work 214 

1.  Congregational :  a.  This  form  of  inner 
mission  activity  is  of  prime  importance ;  b.  How 
the  work  may  be  begun ;   c.   Large  city  churches ; 

d.  City  missions  and  inner  mission  societies 2J4 

2.  Institutional :  a.  Training  schools  for 
workers ;  b.  Charitable  institutions ;  c.  The  dis- 
semination  of   Christian   literature 224 


16  CONTENTS. 


III.    THE  NURTURE  OF  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  THE 
HOME  CHURCH. 

Chapter  XXII.     The  Missionary  Life 227 

1.  A  vital   issue 227 

2.  A  work  of  divine  grace 230 

Chapter  XXIII.     The  Nurture   of  Missionary   Life   in 

the  Church  at  Large 233 

1.  By  joint  effort  of  the  affiliated  congrega- 
tions :  a.  The  importance  of  the  individual ;  b. 
The  pastor  as  missionary  leader 233 

2.  By  faithful  supervision  of  the  general 
work     236 

3.  By  ample  provision  for  co-operation 236 

Chapter   XXIV.     The   Nurture   of   Missionary  Life  in 

the   Congregation    239 

1.  Faithful  administration  and  application  of 

the   means   of  grace 239 

2.  Two  spheres  of  spiritual  nurture:  a. 
Among  the  young:  (1)  Missionary  work  in  the 
Sunday  school ;  (2)  Missionary  instruction  in  the 
catechetical  school  or  class ;  (3)  Missionary  in- 
struction in  the  Christian  day  school ;  b.  Among 
the  older  members : 

First,  the  regular  divine  services :  Secondly, 
special  missionary  services  and  lines  of  work : 
(1)  Regularly  recurring  missionary  services;  (2) 
The  annual  mission  festival ;  (3)  Distribution  of 
missionary  literature;  (4)  Societies  and  mission 
study :  aa.  Women's  missionary  society ;  bb. 
Young  people's  mission  study  courses;  cc.  Interest 
among  the  men;  (5)  System  in  the  gathering  of 
offerings;  (6)  A  missionary  library  for  pastor  and 
people;    (7)    Prayer  for  missions 240 

APPENDIX. 

I.     Supplementary   Notes    263 

II.     Bibliography    271 

III.     Index    -77 


FIRST  PART, 


MISSIONARY  PRINCIPLES  IN  GENERAL,  VITH  PAR- 
TICULAR REFERENCE  TO  THE  FOREIGN 
MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 
(17) 


I.    INTRODUCTORY, 


CHAPTER  L 

THE  SCIENCE  OF  CHRISTIAN  MISSIONS. 

I.  Is  there  such  a  science?  A  science  may  be 
briefly  defined  as  "knowledge  reduced  to  law  and  em- 
bodied in  system."  Without  being  too  exact  or  exact- 
ing, any  department  of  knowledge  in  which  the  re- 
sults of  investigation  have  been  worked  out  and  sys- 
tematized may  be  designated  by  the  term  science. 
Such  a  procedure  and  process  is  scientific. 

In  the  sphere  of  missions  this  requirement  has  to 
a  large  extent  been  met.  It  is  true,  men  of  wide  ex- 
perience in  many  foreign  fields  tell  us  that  there  is 
even  to  this  day  in  mission  fields  and  among  mission- 
aries an  absence  of  any  body  of  accepted  principles 
governing  missionary  operations/  And  even  such  a 
thorough  student  of  missions  and  versatile  author  as 
Dr.  Warneck  laments  the  fact  that  no  work  has  as  yet 
been  produced,  in  which  the  missionary  enterprise  in 
its  entire  scope  has  received  adequate,  scientific  treat- 
ment.- Yet,  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century  espe- 
cially, great  strides  have  been  taken  toward  reducing 
the  mass  and  multiplicity  of  facts  and  incidents  and 
forces  to  scientific  form,  and  neither  the  student  nor 
the  missionary  is  left  to  grope  about  helplessly,  with- 


^Missionary   Principles   and    Practice,    Robert   E.    Speer, 
44.    *  Evangelische  Missionslehre,  Dr.  G.  Warneck,  I.  p.  8. 
(19) 


20  MISSION   STUDIES. 

out  competent  instruction  and  safe  guidance,  if  he  is 
willing  to  learn  and  be  guided  by  the  wisdom  that  has 
grown  out  of  experience. 

2.  The  literature  of  missions  may  be  divided 
into  two  classes:  a.  The  history  of  missions;  b. 
The  theory  or  principles  of  missions.  Both  lines 
of  study  are  capable  of  scientific  treatment,  and  in  both 
departments  excellent  works  have  been  produced.  The 
history  of  missions  has  been  traced  from  the  earliest 
times  down  to  the  present.  Besides  works  of  a  general 
character,  giving  a  connected  portrayal  of  events  and 
movements  during  longer  or  shorter  periods  of  time, 
there  are  books,  almost  without  number,  in  which  par- 
ticular phases  or  features  of  the  work  or  separate  mis- 
sion fields  are  set  forth.  The  missionary  literature  of 
our  day  is  particularly  rich  in  biographies  —  a  most 
interesting  and  at  the  same  time  instructive  form  of 
presenting  the  work.  And  while  the  literature  embody- 
ing the  theoretical  study  of  missions  is  not  nearly  so 
large  or  copious  as  that  which  may  be  designated  as 
historical,  descriptive,  or  biographical,  there  are  not 
wanting  a  few  works  that  substantially  cover  the  whole 
ground,  besides  many  in  which  this  phase  of  the  sub- 
ject receives  partial  treatment. 

The  two  lines  or  classes  are  not  always  distinct, 
nor  can  they  always  be  kept  apart.  Very  many  ques- 
tions of  theory  and  method,  principles  and  relations, 
causes  and  effects,  and  the  like,  come  under  discussion 
in  historical  works,  while  theoretical  treatises  draw  in, 
by  way  of  illustration  and  otherwise,  many  historical 
facts  and  events.  After  the  student  of  missions  has 
once  acquainted  himself  with  the  leading  movements 
in  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God  during  the 


Ch.    I.  HISTORICAL    WORKS.  21 

Christian  era  and  has  gotten  a  comprehensive  view 
and  a  firm  grasp  of  the  leading  principles  that  underlie 
and  support  and  direct  the  whole  work,  he  will  be  pre- 
pared to  enjoy  more  fully  and  to  employ  more  effec- 
tively whatever  literature  may  come  to  his  hand  or  the 
lines  along  which  he  desires  to  specialize. 

As  a  help  to  this  end  the  following  list  of  typical 
works  in  each  department  is  offered.  The  list  is  in- 
tended to  be  merely  suggestive  of  what  the  reader 
may  select  in  order  to  get  the  general  knowledge  that 
is  desired  at  the  outset  and  is  confined  to  books  in 
German  and  English.  A  fuller  list  of  missionary  books 
for  all  purposes  may  be  found  in  the  Bibliography, 
given  in  the  Appendix.  The  books  which,  according 
to  the  author's  experience,  are  to  be  preferred  are 
marked  with  an  asterisk  (*),  those  to  which  special 
preference  might  be  given  with  a  double  asterisk  (**). 

Works  of  a  General  Historical  Character. 

**  Warneck,  Gustav.  Abriss  einer  Geschichte  der 
protestantischen  Missionen  von  der  Reformation  bis 
auf  die  Gegenwart.  8th  edition,  revised  and  enlarged. 
1905.     $2.00. 

This  standard  work  can  also  be  had  in  English,  a 
translation  from  the  second  edition  by  Thomas  Smith. 
English  title:  ''Outline  of  the  History  of  Protestant 
Missions  from  the  Reformation  to  the  Present  Time." 
Formerly  $2.00.  The  price  on  this  edition  seems  to 
have  been  advanced. 

Gundert,  H.  Die  Evangelische  Mission,  ihre 
Lander,  Volker  und  Arbeiten.  3.  Aufl.  1894. — A 
concise  and  handy  book  for  reference, 


2Z  MISSION    STUDIES. 

*  Gareis,  R.  Geschichte  der  Evangelischen  Hei- 
denmission.  —  Profusely     illustrated,     very     readable. 

$175- 

Grundemann,  R.  Burkhardt's  Kleine  Missions- 
Bibliothek.  1876-1881.  Four  volumes.  Encyclopedic 
in  character.     An  old  work,  still  valuable. 

**  Struempfel,  Emil.  Was  jedermann  heute  von 
der  Mission  wissen  muss.  55  cents. — An  excellent 
condensation  and  general  survey  of  essentials  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  foreign  missionary  enterprise. 

Plitt,  G.  Geschichte  der  evang.-lutherischen  Mis- 
sion.    2  Bde. 

*  Bliss,  Edwin  Munsell.  A  Concise  History  of 
Missions.  75  cents.  —  Very  concise  and  condensed, 
but  a  valuable  general  survey. 

Smith,  George.  Short  History  of  Christian  Mis- 
sions from  Abraham  and  Paul  to  Carey,  Livingstone, 
and  Duff.  $1.00.  —  Covers  a  larger  ground  and  gives 
more  details  than  Bliss.  Combines  theoretical  develop- 
ment with  the  historical. 

Thompson,  Augustus  C.  Protestant  Missions ; 
Their  Rise  and  Early  Progress.  50  cents.  —  An  ex- 
cellent summary  of  early  Protestant  missions. 

Maclear,  G.  F.  Missions  and  Apostles  of 
Medieval  Europe.     40  cents. 

*  Dennis,  James  S.  Foreign  Missions  After  a 
Century.  1893.  $1.50.  —  A  fine  review  of  world-wide 
missions.  Comprehensive  and  scientific  in  manner  of 
treatment. 

Thompson,  A.  E.  A  Century  of  Jewish  Missions. 
$1.00, 


ch.  i.  theoretical  works.  23 

Works  of  a  Theoretical  Character. 

**Warneck,  G.  Evangelische  Missionslehre.  5 
vols.  —  Work  referred  to  in  the  Preface.  Voluminous 
and  somewhat  verbose,  but  as  a  fund  of  technical 
knowledge  and  an  incentive  to  thought  and  study  it 
cannot  be  too  highly  recommended. 

Grundemann,  R.  Missionsstudien  und-Kritiken. 
2  Bde.     1894  und  1898. 

*  Speer,  Robert  E.  Missionary  Principles  and 
Practice.  A  Discussion  of  Christian  Missions  and 
some  Criticisms  upon  them.  1902.  $1.50.  —  An 
earnest  plea  for  the  further  development  of  the  science 
of  missions  and  an  able  contribution  in  this  direction. 
The  rich  fruitage  of  wide  observation  and  a  thoroughly 
Christian  spirit. 

*  Mott,  John  R.  The  Pastor  and  Modern  Mis- 
sions. A  Plea  for  Leadership  in  World  Evangeliza- 
tion. 1904.  $1.00.  —  Full  of  suggestion  and  stimula- 
tion. An  eloquent  plea,  well  supported  by  substantial 
facts.     An  excellent  tonic  for  pastors. 

Martin.  Chalmers.  Apostolic  and  Modern  Mis- 
sions. 1898.  $1.00.  —  A  comparative  study  of  prin- 
ciples, problem,  methods  and  results.  Conservative 
and  helpful. 

Lawrence,  Edward  A.  Introduction  to  the  Study 
of  Eoreign  Missions.  Being  five  chapters  from  the 
author's  ''Modern  Missions  in  the  East."  40  cents. 
Embodies  a  discussion  of  the  aim,  scope,  motives  and 
problems  of  the  missionary  enterprise. 

**  Brown,  Arthur  Judson.  The  Foreign  Mission- 
ary. An  Incarnation  of  a  World  Movement.  1907. 
$1.50.  —  A  lucid  and  informing  discussion  of  the  many 


24  MISSION    STUDIES. 

questions  and  problems  entering  into  the  life  and  work 
of  the  missionary  in  all  his  relations  at  home  and 
abroad. 

3.  Missionary  principles  and  problems.  These 
constitute  the  science  of  missions  in  the  strict  sense. 
And  to  this  sphere  our  present  Studies  are  limited.  An 
elementary  knowledge  of  the  history  of  missions  is 
presupposed.  The  careful  perusal  of  one  or  more  of 
the  histories  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  list  of  books 
is  recommended.  The  student  will  then  be  prepared  to 
note  intelligently  just  how  a  science  of  missions,  in 
the  true  sense,  has  begun  to  be  developed. 

It  is  an  interesting  process  to  note  and  follow. 
A  certain  work  has  been  done,  from  various  motives, 
with  a  variety  of  aims,  and  by  different  methods,  and 
this  work  has  extended  through  many  centuries  and 
unto  the  ends  of  the  earth,  among  all  nations.  The  in- 
vestigator is  in  possession  of  a  vast  abundance  and  a 
great  variety  of  facts.  These  it  is  the  task  of  the 
scientist  to  analyze,  compare,  verify,  classify  and  sys- 
tematize. By  an  inductive  study  of  the  missionary  ex- 
perience of  the  Christian  Church  throughout  the  ages, 
in  the  light  of  God's  Word,  the  underlying  principles 
and  the  most  efficient  means  and  methods  of  accom- 
plishing the  aim  are  brought  to  light,  arranged  and 
recorded.  In  this  way  there  ensues  a  science  of  mis- 
sions that  embodies  assured  and  approved  results,  by 
which  workers  in  similar  spheres  may  be  guided,  thus 
profiting  by  the  experience  of  those  who  have  gone 
before  and  avoiding  ruinous  experimentation  and 
needless  waste  of  lives  and"  treasure. 

The  order  of  development  is  the  same  in  this 
sphere  as  in  all  other  spheres  of  human  thought  and 


Ch.    I.  PRINCIPLES    AND    PROBLEMS.  25 

activity.  Every  true  and  substantial  science  has  been 
preceded  by  and  grown  out  of  corresponding  practice, 
experience  and  observation.  Thoughtful  men  observed 
the  stars  in  their  courses,  noted  the  constellations,  etc., 
long  before  there  was  a  system  of  astronomy.  So  in 
theology,  every  practical  branch  was  preceded  by  long 
practice  in  the  corresponding  sphere ;  for  example,  in- 
struction, catechising —  leading  to  Catechetics  ;  preach- 
ing to  Homiletics,  etc.  So  mission  work,  carried  on 
with  varying  interest  and  varied  success  since  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  is  finally  resulting  in  the  development 
of  a  mission  science,  for  which,  however,  an  accept- 
able and  generally  accepted  name  has  not  yet  been 
found.     This  will  be  taken  up  in  the  next  chapter. 

A  writer  has  said:  "The  science  of  missions  is 
one  of  the  most  fascinating  and  sublime  of  sciences, 
demanding  the  exclusive  devotion  of  a  lifetime  of  study 
and  experience ;  and  this  because  the  foreign  jmission 
work  is  one  of  the  most  glorious  of  enterprises."  ^ 
There  are  many  other  branches  of  study  and  employ- 
ments that  engage  our  attention.  But  it  ought  to  go 
without  saying  that  a  work  which  occupies  such  a 
large  and  commanding  place  in  the  New  Testament, 
in  the  mind  of  our  Lord  and  Savior,  in  the  life  of  the 
Church  and  the  development  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
deserves  and  demands  the  earnest  attention,  the  unre- 
mitting interest  and  the  lifelong  activity  of  every 
Christian,  whatever  and  wherever  his  place  in  the 
Church  may  be. 


'Lawrence,   Introduction,  etc.     Modern  Missions  in  the 
East. 


CHAPTER  IL 

THE  SCOPE  OF  THE  MISSIONARY  PRINCIPLES. 

I.  What  is  embraced  under  the  head  of  mis- 
sionary principles?  The  most  important  material 
and  the  vital  factors  of  the  enterprise,  in  its  origin  and 
inception,  its  management  and  conduct,  its  completion 
and  goal,  may  be  summed  up  under  Three  general 
heads:  a.  The  purpose  and  aim  of  missions;  b. 
Their  ground  or  basis ;  c.  The  means  and  methods  of 
the  work.  A  very  brief  and  summary  statement  of 
these  factors  is  all  that  is  desired  here,  as  they  are  to 
be  amply  set  forth,  each  in  its  proper  place,  in  the 
succeeding  discussion. 

a.  The  purpose  and  aim  of  missions  is  to  make 
disciples  of  Christ  and  gather  them  into  Christian 
churches  that  shall  be  self-supporting  and  self-extend- 
ing. It  is  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  God  on 
earth,  throughout  the  v^orld. 

b.  The  ground  or  basis  of  missions  is  the  grace 
of  God  revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  manifested 
in  the  redemption  of  mankind,  and  the  love  of  God 
shed  abroad  in  the  hearts  of  His  redeemed  people. 
Here  we  have  to  do  mainly  with  the  source  and  origin 
of  the  work,  the  foundation  which  supports  it,  and  the 
power  that  directs,  sustains  and  propels  it. 

c.  The  vicans  and  methods  employed  in  Christian 
missions  are  the  means  of  grace,  God's  holy  Word  and 
sacraments,  administered  by  the  Church,  to  whose 
stewardship  the  Lord  has  entrusted  them.  The  ad- 
ministration of  the  sacred  mysteries  involves,  in  a  very 

(26) 


Ch.    2.  AIM,    GROUND,    AND    MEANS.  27 

large  measure,  human  agency.  Hence  there  result  dif- 
ferences and  difficulties  which  have  obstructed  the 
progress  of  the  work  in  the  past  and  are  hindering  its 
efficiency  to  this  day. 

Now,  all  this  is  very  simple,  and  yet  it  is  pro- 
found, involving  the  deep  things  of  God  and  the  powers 
of  the  world  to  come.  A  little  child  can  apprehend 
the  simple  truths,  and  scholars  and  mighty  men  of 
God,  men  of  gigantic  spiritual  and  intellectual  stature, 
are  called  upon  to  wrestle  with  the  problems  and  en- 
deavor to  solve  the  difficulties  presented.  Look  at 
this  plain  and  simple  summary :  The  aim  of  missions, 
Christian  discipleship  and  fellowship ;  the  ground  of 
missions,  the  love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus ;  the  effective 
means  to  be  employed  in  the  work  of  missions,  the  in- 
spired Word  of  the  living  God.  Could  anything  be 
simpler  in  statement?  It  is  the  A  B  C  of  missions. 
But  if  that  is  true,  it  gives  a  suggestion  of  the  distance 
to  be  traveled  in  pursuing  the  enterprise  through  mul- 
titudinous ramifications  to  its  ultimate  goal.  There 
is  a  considerable  distance  between  the  learning  of  an 
alphabet  and  the  mastering  of  a  language,  with  its 
literature.  But  the  task  is  inviting,  and  the  work  de- 
lightful, ever  progressing,  unfolding,  widening.  The 
labor  pays.  It  is  amply  rewarded.  There  are  great 
compensations  for  all  the  efforts  put  forth.  Even  so 
it  is  in  the  study  and  prosecution  of  missions.  And 
it  is  not  merely  or  mainly  an  intellectual  operation. 
God's  grace  and  God's  glory  beam  all  along  the  way, 
sustaining  and  quickening  interest  and  inviting  to 
larger  effort.  Let  the  student  be  docile,  (Matt,  ii,  29; 
Jesus  says,  ''Learn  of  me,'')  patient  and  persevering, 
and  great  will  be  his  reward. 


28  MISSION   STUDIES. 

2.  Explanation  of  terms.  The  mission  studies 
that  we  are  pursuing  have  not  as  yet  reached  the  stage 
of  development  and  completion  that  is  desirable  and 
required  in  a  science.  It  is  not  strange,  therefore, 
that  there  is  as  yet  no  agreement  as  to  its  scientific 
name.  Many  names  have  been  suggested  and  used, 
but  objection  has  been  raised  against  every  one  of 
them.  This  is  not  a  matter  of  great  importance,  and 
yet  it  deserves  the  attention  of  the  student,  who  is  in- 
terested in  the  scientific  phase  of  the  subject. 

Under  the  leadership  and  advocacy  of  such  men 
as  Dr.  Anderson,  of  the  American  Board,  Dr.  Somer- 
ville,  of  Scotland,  Henry  V^enn,  secretary  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  Dr.  Christlieb,  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Bonn,  and  Dr.  Warneck,  the  most  versatile 
author  and  one  of  the  ablest  advocates  of  missions  in 
Germany  during  the  last  thirty  years,  and  more  re- 
cently the  encumbent  of  a  professorship  of  missions  at 
Halle,  considerable  progress  has  been  made  in  the 
development  of  the  science  of  missions  since  the 
American  Board  published  its  "Outline  of  Missionary 
Policy"  in  1856.  And  this  half  century  of  progress 
and  development  was  preceded  by  a  line  of  pioneers 
and  pathfinders  whose  memory  will  always  be  dear 
and  their  example  inspiring  to  students  of  missions, — 
men,  for  example,  like  Justinian  von  Welz,  whose  ring- 
ing missionary  appeal  in  1664  failed  to  rouse  the  slum- 
bering churches  to  a  sense  of  duty,  and  Bartholomew 
Ziegenbalg,  the  Lutheran  missionary  pioneer,  who  had 
caught  the  missionary  fire  at  Plalle  and  entered  upon 
his  labors  in  South  India  nearly  a  century  before  Carey 
began  operations  in  North  India,  and  a  full  century 
before  Alexander  Duff  was  born.    These  and  others  of 


Ch.   2.  SCIENTIFIC    TERMS    AND    TITLES.  29 

like  mould  and  mind  were  the  forerunners,  the  John 
the  Baptists,  the  voices  crying  in  the  wilderness,  the 
fearless  pathfinders  and  forceful  pioneers  of  the  mod- 
ern missionary  enterprise  and  its  development  in  the 
promulgation  of  a  body  of  scientific  principles. 

And  the  name  of  the  science?  The  titles  are  in- 
teresting and  suggestive  to  students ;  others  may  pass 
them  by.  Look  at  this  formidable  array  of  titles : 
Halieutics,  Keryctics,  Apostolics,  Missionics,  Propa- 
gandics,  Evangelistics.  All  have  been  suggested,  but 
none  generally  adopted.  Note  briefly  their  significance : 

Halieutics — (from  the  Greek  dlttoeiv,  to  fish, 
Matt.  4,  19  fif. ;  "I  will  make  you  fishers  of  men.") 
Used  by  Van  Oosterzee  in  his  Practical  Theology  as 
a  designation  for  the  science  of  missions.  He  says: 
''Some  prefer  the  name  'Apostolics.'  The  name  'Evan- 
gelistics' appears  less  suitable  on  account  of  its  great 
vagueness." 

Keryctics — (from  x-qpuijaeiv  to  serve  as  herald, 
to  proclaim  as  a  herald,  Mark  16,  15;  Matt.  24,  14; 
Luke  24,  47.)  Used  by  Zezschwitz,  and  later  by 
Christlieb.^ 

Apostolics — (from  dnanTikXeiv,  to  send  forth, 
John  20,  21.  The  sending  forth  of  apostles,  mes- 
sengers, missionaries.) 

Missionics — (from  the  Latin  mitto,  I  send,  the 
equivalent  of  the  Greek  d.T:o(TrikXio.)  Used  by  Law- 
rence.^ 

Propagandics — (from  the  Latin  propagare,  to 
propagate,   extend  —  from   which   comes  the   English 


'Der  gcgenwartige  Stand  dcr  evangelischen  Heidenmis- 
sion,  1880,  p.  135.     'Modern  Missions  in  the  East. 


30  MISSION   STUDIES. 

word  propaganda.)  The  last  three  terms  are  simply 
mentioned,  but  not  adopted  by  Dr.  Warneck. 

Evangelistics — (from  euayyeXiCsff^at^  to  tell 
good  news,  to  preach  the  Gospel,  Luke  9,  6;  20,  i.) 
Used  by  Duff  in  his  inaugural  address  in  1867  and 
adopted  by  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  establishing 
a  professorship  of  Evangelistics ;  by  Plath  in  Zockler's 
Handbuch  der  theol.  Wissenschaften ;  by  Harnack  in 
his  Practical  Theology;  and  by  many  others  in  more 
recent  times.  Dr.  Warneck  discards  all  these  terms, 
including  the  last,  as  in  his  opinion  too  partial  and  in- 
adequate, and  prefers  the  plain  vernacular  "Missions- 
lehre,"  theory  or  science  of  missions. 

Of  all  these  terms  of  foreign  origin,  I  would  give 
decided  preference  to  the  last.  It  is  the  only  one  that 
has  attained  any  considerable  prevalence  and  popular- 
ity. I  believe  it  has  come  to  stay,  and  it  is  worthy  of 
the  distinction.  No  sweeter  name  can  fall  on  the  ear 
of  Christian  or  heathen  than  the  sweet  Evangel  of 
Bethlehem  and  Calvary,  the  Word  of  the  cross  which 
is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.  And  is  not  this 
the  very  gist  of  mission  study  and  mission  work? 
What  is  mission  work  but  the  work  of  saving  the 
unsaved  ?  And  how  else  can  it  be  done  than  by  bring- 
ing them  the  Gospel  of  Christ  and  through  this  means, 
under  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  leading  them 
into  the  kingdom  of  God?  The  whole  enterprise  has 
for  its  center  Christ  and  the  power  of  His  resurrection. 
And  He  is  the  heart  of  the  Gospel,  as  He  is  the  head 
of  the  Church. 

It  seems  to  me  to  be  in  the  nature  of  quibbling  to 
no  profit  to  raise  objection  to  the  term  "Evangelis- 
tics" on  the  ground  that  many  other  activities  are  in- 


Ch.    2.  EVANGELISTICS.  31 

volved  in  the  missionary  enterprise  besides  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel.  Of  course  there  are.  But  if  they 
do  not  center  about  the  Gospel,  if  they  are  not  more 
or  less  directly  connected  with  it  and  permeated  by  it, 
they  do  not  properly  belong  within  the  sphere  of 
Christian  missions.  The  Gospel  is  the  proper  source 
and  the  unifying  force  of  all  the  various  questions 
and  activities,  whether  they  pertain  to  the  management 
of  the  work  at  home  or  to  its  conduct  and  prosecu- 
tion abroad. 

But,  after  all,  the  important  thing  is  not  the 
choice  of  name,  but  the  proper  conception  and  pre- 
sentation of  the  work  itself.  Let  us  give  ourselves  to 
this  task  with  singleness  of  purpose  to  know  and  re- 
ceive the  mind  of  Christ. 


in 


CHAPTER  m. 

THE  PLACE  OF  MISSIONS  IN  THEOLOGY  AND  IN 
CHRISTIANITY. 

1.  How  determined?  By  the  intrinsic  nature 
of  the  missionary  enterprise,  by  its  place  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures  and  the  divine  economy  of  salvation.  It  is 
not,  therefore,  a  matter  of  arbitrary  choice.  It  doesn't 
depend  on  the  character  and  spirit  of  the  teacher  in 
the  seminary  or  the  pastor  in  the  church.  The  actual 
or  accidental  place  of  missions  in  school  and  church 
may  be  so  determined,  but  not  their  real  and  proper 
place.  This  has  been  settled  by  the  Lord  God,  who 
is  the  unerring  director  of  missions,  as  He  is  the  in- 
fallible author  of  the  Scriptures.  It  is  for  us,  by 
reverent  study  of  His  Word  and  observation  of  His 
providential  leading,  to  find  the  place  He  has  assigned 
and  to  conform  our  ways  thereto. 

2.  The  place  of  the  science  of  missions  in 
theology.  Two  questions  claim  our  attention  here: 
a.  The  place  of  missionary  thoughts  in  the  older 
branches  of  theology;  b.  The  feasibility  and  desir- 
ability of  the  independent  development  of  the  science 
of  missions. 

a.  The  study  of  the  principles  of  missions  is 
closely  related  to  many  of  the  older,  established  theo- 
logical sciences.  Consider  only  the  most  obvious 
points  of  contact. 

(i)  Church  History.  Christian  missions  con- 
stitute one  of  the  large  and  important  movements  in 

(32) 


Ch.    3.  MISSIONS    IN    THEOLUGV.  33 

the  life  and  work  of  the  Church  in  every  period  of  her 
history.  Accordingly,  the  history  of  the  extension  of 
the  Church  occupies  a  large  and  conspicuous  place  in 
Church  History.  While  the  historical  phase  of  the 
missionary  enterprise  claims  a  place  in  this  branch  of 
theology,  the  theoretical  phase  has  various  points  of 
contact  in  the  following  branches : 

(2)  Exegesis.  As  the  books  of  the  Bible  are 
subjected  to  critical  and  exegetical  study,  the  mis- 
sionary thoughts  both  of  the  Old  Testament  and  of 
the  New  will  come  in  for  proportionate  consideration, 
according  to  their  setting  and  significance  in  the  sacred 
text. 

(3)  Systematic  Theology.  In  Dogmatics  the 
leading  doctrines,  as,  for  example,  of  God,  of  the  sin- 
fulness of  mankind,  of  the  redemption  of  the  human 
race  through  Christ  Jesus,  etc.,  involves  fundamental 
missionary  thoughts  that  need  only  to  be  pointed  out 
and  applied.  In  Ethics  the  consideration  of  the  rela- 
tions of  the  Christian  to  mankind  at  large,  in  State  and 
Church,  in  the  family  and  society,  and  in  these  rela- 
tions the  question  of  Christian  duty,  will  naturally  lead 
to  incidental  presentation  and  application  of  mission- 
ary thoughts.  For  Apologetics  the  history  of  mis- 
sions afifords  manifold  striking  evidences  of  the  su- 
periority of  Christianity  over  all  the  non-Christiati 
religions  of  the  world,  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  to 
renew  and  transform  the  character  and  life  of  indi- 
viduals and  of  nations,  of  the  truthfulness  of  the  di- 
vine Word  and  the  matchless  value  of  the  Christian 
faith. 

(4)     Practical  Theology.     Here  there  are  m.any 
points  of  contact  and  opportunities  for  the  occasional 


34  MISSION    STUDIES. 

and  incidental  treatment  of  missionary  ideas.  In 
Catechetics,  in  Homiletics,  in  Liturgies,  and  in  Pas- 
toral Theology,  many  principles  come  under  consider- 
ation which  apply  equally  to  the  established  pasforate 
and  to  work  in  the  mission  field.  The  missionary  as 
well  as  the  pastor  in  the  home  church  is  called  upon 
to  catechize  or  instruct  both  young  and  old,  to  preacli, 
to  conduct  public  worship,  and  to  care  for  individual 
souls  in  the  capacity  of  a  shepherd  or  pastor.  Mis- 
sionary applications  will  occur  naturally,  without  any 
forcing  or  straining,  in  the  adequate  treatment  of  these 
branches. 

b.  The  importance  of  the  missionary  enterprise 
justifies  the  separate  development  of  the  science  of 
missions.  When  we  consider  the  immensity  of  the 
task  and  the  dimensions  to  which  this  enterprise  has 
grown;  when  we  study  the  Bible  with  an  open  eye 
and  heart  to  note  and  receive  missionary  thoughts  and 
impressions ;  when  we  make  a  survey  of  the  copious 
and  rapidly  expanding  field  of  missionary  literature ; 
when  we  thoughtfully  review  present  day  conditions 
both  in  Christian  and  in  heathen  lands  and  consider 
the  opportunities  and  the  urgent  need  of  more  vigor- 
ous and  effective  prosecution  of  the  work  which  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest  has  given  His  Church  to  do ;  — 
in  view  of  these  and  other  considerations  that  force 
themselves  upon  the  student  of  missions  and  the  earn- 
est worker  in  the  cause,  can  there  be  any  doubt  as  to 
the  desirability  of  the  ampler,  scientific  development 
of  mission  study  and  enterprise?  Incidental  references 
and  casual  and  partial  and  haphazard  treatment  do  not 
sufifice,  do  not  meet  the  demands  of  the  case,  do  not 


Ch.    3.  IN    SEMINARIES    AND    COLLEGES.  35 

do  justice  to  the  largeness,  the  importance  and  the 
expanding  future  of  the  missionary  enterprise. 

The  feasibiHty  of  the  undertaking  is  shown  by 
the  not  inconsiderable  advances  that  have  been  made 
toward  the  development  of  a  science  of  missions. 
Under  the  leadership  of  missionary  educators  and  ad- 
vocates in  Europe  and  America,  of  able  directors  and 
secretaries  of  the  great  and  growing  missionary  so- 
cieties and  mission  boards,  the  work  is  gradually  as- 
suming definite  shape  and  ampler  form. 

All  this  leads  naturally  and  inevitably  to  another 
point  of  great  practical  importance. 

3.  The  place  of  missions  in  educational  in- 
stitutions. If  the  above  argument  has  any  cogency 
and  force,  it  follows  that  the  scientific  and  systematic 
study  of  missions,  Evangelistics,  if  you  please,  de- 
serves a  place  in  the  curriculum  of  the  theological  sem- 
inary. Moreover,  it  is  a  question  deserving  the  at- 
tention of  the  authorities,  whether  the  missionary  en- 
terprise may  not  profitably  be  given  a  place  in  the  col- 
lege, in  the  form  of  volunteer  and  optional  mission 
study  classes,  and  possibly  by  the  maintenance  of  a 
missionary  society. 

The  fact  is  that,  during  the  last  two  decades,  there 
has  been  a  marked  forward  movement  in  this  regard 
in  all  the  higher  institutions  of  learning,  from  the 
great  universities  down  to  academies  and  preparatory 
schools.  In  Germany  and  Great  Britain,  as  also  here 
in  America,  missionary  professorships  and  lectureships 
have  been  introduced  in  not  a  few  seminaries  and  uni- 
versities, and  under  the  leadership  of  the  Student  Vol- 
unteer Movement,  in  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
probably  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  students  are 


36 


MISSION    STUDIES. 


enrolled   in  mission  study  classes  in  several  hundred 
institutions. 

4.  The  place  of  missions  in  the  Christian  life 
and  in  the  work  of  the  Church. 

a.  Only  preliminary  consideration  of  this  topic 
here.  It  is  a  large  topic  and  of  such  vital  importance 
that  it  will  receive  fuller  and  more  adequate  treatment 
in  later  chapters.  The  purpose  of  taking  it  up  at  all 
at  this  stage  of  our  discussion  is  to  secure  our  proper 
bearings  and  get  established  for  future  operations. 
A  broad  and  comprehensive  view  of  the  study  and  the 
enterprise  at  the  outset  is  a  great  advantage.  It 
arouses  interest  and  sets  before  us  what  is  to  be  the 
aim  of  our  endeavors. 

h.  The  same  place  in  both  spheres.  There  is  no 
vital  difference  between  the  place  of  missions  in  the 
Christian  life  and  their  place  in  the  work  of  the 
Church.  Under  normal  conditions  there  is  no  vital, 
permanent  Christian  life  apart  from  the  Church.  No 
duties  in  the  sphere  of  missions  devolve  upon  in- 
dividual Christians  which  are  not  encumbent  upon 
the  Church.  And,  contrariwise,  whatever  missionary 
obligations  rest  upon  the  Church  the  individual  Chris- 
tians are  in  duty  bound  to  share.  Emphasize  duly, 
but  also  distinguish  properly  between  individual  re- 
sponsibility and  corporate  enterprise.  Study  the  sub- 
ject in  the  light  of  i  Cor.  12;  Eph.  2,  19-22;  and  sim- 
ilar passages. 

c.  Missions  claim  a  primary,  dominating  place 
in  Christianity.  The  Church  which  Jesus  Christ  es- 
tablished on  the  earth  has  a  twofold  task :  edifica- 
tion and  extension.  They  are  co-ordinate  activities 
and  act  and  react  upon  one  another.     Upbuilding  and 


Ch.    3.  IN    THE    CHRISTIAN    LIFE.  37 

propagation,  activity  within  and  outward,  —  these  two 
processes  embrace  all  the  forces  and  activities  of  the 
Christian  life  and  the  work  of  the  Church.  And  these 
are  fundamental  and  vital,  the  one  as  well  as  the  other. 
Persistent  neglect  of  the  missionary  life  has  the  same 
effect  as  persistent  neglect  of  the  devotional  life.  The 
life  shrivels,  decays,  dies.  As  a  missionary  secretary 
of  large  experience  has  recently  said:  ''Propagation 
is  a  law  of  the  spiritual  life.  A  living  organism  must 
grow  or  die.  The  Church  that  is  not  missionary  will 
become  atrophied."  ^ 

Too  many,  both  individuals  and  churches,  treat 
the  missionary  enterprise  as  though  it  were  a  neat,  but 
needless  grace,  a  beautiful,  but  expensive  and  hence 
negligible  ornament,  a  grace  and  ornament  superadded 
to  Christianity,  rather  than  an  impulse,  a  force,  a 
factor,  inwoven  in  the  very  fabric  of  Christianity.  As 
we  study  the  subject  in  the  light  of  the  Scriptures  and 
the  history  of  the  Christian  Church  we  see,  ever  more 
clearly,  how  mistaken  this  notion  is,  and  how  short- 
sighted and  suicidal  the  policy  that  persistently  ig- 
nores the  claims  and  belittles  the  significance  of  mis- 
sions. 

Let  us  be  open  to  conviction,  glad  to  receive  the 
instruction  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  Word,  and 
willing  to  abide  by  and  act  upon  the  results  of  His 
tuition. 


Recapitulation.      In   this   introductory   section, 
comprising  the  first  three  chapters,  some  preparation 


*The  Foreign  Missionary.     By  Arthur  Judson  Brown. 


38  MISSION   STUDIES. 

has  been  made  for  the  systematic  study  of  the  leading 
principles  underlying  and  pervading  the  missionary  en- 
terprise. This  preparation  includes  preliminary  con- 
sideration of  the  question  as  to  the  actual  and  possible 
development  of  a  science  of  missions,  the  scope  of 
missionary  principles,  and  the  place  of  missions  in 
theology  and  in  practical  Christianity. 

We  have  seen  that,  while  the  study  of  missions 
has  not  as  yet  been  developed  into  a  complete  and 
generally  recognized  science  set  forth  in  scientific 
treatises,  considerable  progress  has  been  made  in  this 
direction.  Both  in  the  historical  and  the  theoretical 
parts  some  standard  works  have  been  produced.  Wc 
have  seen  that  the  scope  of  missionary  principles  in- 
cludes the  aim,  the  ground,  and  the  means  and  methods 
of  missions.  We  may  regard  this  as  the  What,  the 
Why,  and  the  How  of  mission  work.  It  is,  summar- 
ily, the  work  of  Christianizing  all  the  people  of  the 
earth  by  the  grace  of  God  through  His  Word.  Next 
to  the  planting  of  the  Church  itself,  it  is  the  greatest 
work  in  the  world  and  hence  occupies  a  prominent 
place  in  theology  and  a  primary  and  dominant  place 
in  the  Christian  life  and  the  work  of  the  Church. 

With  these  introductory  reflections,  it  is  hoped, 
the  reader  is  prepared  to  study  with  growing  interest 
the  fundamental  principles  of  missions,  touching  the 
missionary  and  his  work,  in  its  character,  its  founda- 
tion, and  its  prosecution. 


n.    THE  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


CHAPTER  IV, 

UNITY  AND  DIVERSITY  OF  THE  MISSIONARY 
ENTERPRISE. 

I.  The  unity  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  1 
realize  that  we  have  undertaken  a  difficult  task  —  and 
it  will  doubtless  appear  of  questionable  utility,  if  not 
propriety,  to  many  —  in  endeavoring  to  comprehend 
in  one  small  treatise  a  discussion  of  the  fundamental 
features  of  the  various  lines  and  departments  of  mis- 
sion work.  But  there  are  two  considerations  that,  as 
it  seems  to  me,  support  and  justify  the  attempt.  First, 
the  fact  that  this  is  intended  to  be  an  elementary,  not 
an  exhaustive  treatise;  and  secondly,  the  vital  and  es- 
sential unity  of  the  work.  It  is  the  latter  that  I  am 
most  concerned  about.  It  is  a  principle  for  which  I 
contend. 

With  all  the  diversity  and  multiplicity  of  times, 
places,  people,  conditions  and  methods,  there  is  in  the 
different  spheres  and  avenues  of  missionary  endeavor 
substantial  unity  of  idea  and  fundamental  aim.  There 
is  no  essential  difference  between  home  and  foreign 
missions.  There  are  manifest  and  important  differ- 
ences of  distance,  of  conditions,  of  details  in  methods 
of  management  and  prosecution,  but  there  is,  withal, — 
and  this  is  a  matter  of  primal  consideration  for  the  in- 
struction of  our  home  churches,  for  the  intelligent 
grasp  of  the  vital   features  of  the  whole  missionary 

(39) 


40  MISSION    STUDIES. 

task  which  the  Lord  of  glory  has  laid  upon  His  Church, 
for  reflection  on  the  part  of  the  volunteer  who  desires 
to  become  a  missionary,  as  well  as  of  the  pastor  and 
the  average  layman,  (this  little  treatise  makes  no  pre- 
tensions to  a  hand-book  for  specialists) — there  is  in 
all  the  lines  of  true  and  legitimate  missionary  endeavor 
substantially  the  same  source,  the  same  ground  and 
motive,  the  same  purpose  and  ultimate  end. 

The  distinction  between  home  and  foreign  mis- 
sions is  made  and  maintained  for  convenience,  in  order 
to  facilitate  the  systematic  administration  and  prose- 
cution of  the  work. 

2.  There  are  three  distinguishable  spheres  or 
departments  of  the  enterprise :  a.  Home  missions  ; 
b.  Inner  missions ;  c.  Foreign  missions.  These  may 
be  briefly  defined  as  follows: 

a.  Home  mission  zvork  is  mission  work  that  is 
carried  on  in  our  own,  a  nominally  Christian  land,  and 
consists  in  gathering  into  self-supporting  congrega- 
tions the  scattered  brethren  in  the  faith,  together  with 
the  unchurched  masses  of  our  mixed  population. 

h.  Inner  mission  zvork  is  mission  work  that  is 
carried  on  in  our  own  country,  and  consists  in  com- 
bining, by  systematic  endeavor,  works  of  mercy  (var- 
ious Christian  philanthropies)  with  evangelistic  effort 
in  behalf  of  the  salvation  of  the  physically  and  spirit- 
ually needy  classes  of  our  population. 

c.  Foreign  mission  zvork  is  mission  work  that  is 
carried  on,  for  the  most  part,  in  foreign  lands,  and 
consists  in  the  Christianization  of  non-Christians 
(heathens,  Alohammedans  and  Jews),  and  gathering 
them  into  self-supporting,  self-governing,  and  self-ex- 
tending Christian  churches. 


Ch.    4.  UNITY    OF    THE    WORK.  41 

These  distinctions  and  limitations  are  not  always 
clearly  distinguishable  nor  consistently  maintained. 
Home  missions  and  inner  missions  naturally  overlap 
and  are  often  intertwined  and  combined.  And  as  for 
work  in  behalf  of  foreigners  within  our  gates,  Chinese, 
Japanese,  etc.,  some  churches  classify  it  under  home 
missions,  w^hile  others  consider  it,  as  it  really  is,  for- 
eign mission  work  carried  on  within  our  own  borders. 
As  regards  mission  w-ork  among  our  American  In- 
dians, Negroes,  and  the  Jews  in  our  immediate  com- 
munities, it  would,  in  my  opinion,  be  more  in  harmony 
with  actual  conditions  and  practices  to  treat  it  as  more 
properly  belonging  to  the  sphere  of  home  missions. 

Let  it  be  noted,  for  the  sake  of  clearness,  that  the 
missionary  principles  discussed  in  this  First  Part  of 
our  treatise  are  applied,  in  large  part,  though  not  ex- 
clusively, to  foreign  missions,  while  home  and  inner 
mission  work  are  reserved  for  special  treatment  in 
the  Second  Part. 

3.  Diversity  of  operations,  but  the  same  Lord, 
the  same  faith,  the  same  end.  i  Cor.  12,  4-6  may 
profitably  be  studied  in  this  connection.  Diversities  of 
gifts,  diversities  of  ministrations,  diversities  of  work- 
ings, —  but  the  same  Spirit,  the  same  Lord,  the  same 
God  who  worketh  all  things  in  all.  This  is  the 
language  of  inspiration,  the  thought  of  God,  the 
Author,  the  Administrator,  and  the  Operator  of  the 
missionary  enterprise. 

a.  The  unity  of  the  work  is  apparent  from  the 
definitions  given  above.  The  three  forms  of  endeavor 
are  summed  up  under  the  term  "mission  w^ork."  The 
latter  goes  out  in  different  directions,  is  carried  on  in 
different  places,  and  consists  in  going  out  after  the 


42  MISSION    STUDIES. 

unsaved,  reaching  down  to  the  wayward,  the  lost,  the 
imperiled,  in  order  to  hring  all  men  under  the  fostering 
care  and  shelter  of  the  Church  and  extending  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  all  the  earth. 

b.  There  are  decided  advantages  to  he  gained 
from  this  viezv.  It  ministers  not  to  confusion,  but  to 
clearness  of  thought.  It  shows  the  groundlessness, 
the  unscriptural  and  unchristian  character,  of  the  po- 
sition of  those  who  claim  to  be  in  favor  of  home  mis- 
sions, while  they  are  opposed  to  foreign  missions.  The 
true  missionary  spirit  is  not  fettered  by  local,  inci- 
dental consideration  and  advantages.  It  looks  out, 
with  the  sympathetic  heart  and  yearning  love  of  Christ, 
the  Savior  of  the  lost  and  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard, 
upon  the  fields  that  are  white  unto  the  harvest,  whether 
they  be  near  at  hand  or  far  away.  The  near  are  not 
to  be  overlooked  in  our  haste  to  reach  those  far 
away;  nor  are  the  latter  to  be  neglected  on  the  score 
of  the  ofttimes  empty  excuse  and  pretense:  "There 
is  work  enough  to  do  at  home."  To  those  who,  to 
cover  their  neglect  of  duty  and  lack  of  interest,  make 
use  of  the  old  adage,  "Charity  begins  at  home,"  an 
advocate  of  foreign  missions  makes  the  pointed  and 
pungent  reply :  "One  might  urge  with  equal  truth 
that  education  begins  with  the  alphabet,  but  it  ends 
there  only  with  the  feeble-minded."^ 

In  the  treatment  of  the  subject  from  a  theoretical 
point  of  view,  just  as  in  the  carrying  on  of  the  work, 
proper  allowance  must  be  made  and  account  taken  oi 
the  diversities  of  factors  and  features,  while  emphasis 


^Arthur  J.  Brown.     The  Foreign  Missionary,  p.  334. 


Cll.    4.  THE     UNITY     MAINTAINED.  43 

is  laid  on  the  vital  and  fundamental  truths  which  are 
common  to  all. 

c.  Anszver  to  objections  made.  No  cogent  ob- 
jection can  be  raised  against  this  view  on  the  ground 
of  the  derivation  of  the  word  "mission."  There  is  a 
sending  and  going  forth  of  workers  in  each  depart- 
ment, in  home  and  inner  as  well  as  in  foreign  mis- 
sion work.  To  seek  and  to  save  that  which  is  lost  or 
even  in  danger  of  perishing,  if  no  effort  at  rescue  is 
put  forth,  this  is  the  essential  idea  of  mission  work. 
Our  blessed  Lord  and  Savior  used  two  words  of  far- 
reaching  import:  "Come''  and  *'go."  "Come"  leads 
to  discipleship ;  "go"  directs  the  disciple  out  into  the 
missionary  enterprise. 

We  cannot  agree  with  the  view  expressed  by  Dr. 
Warneck  when  he  says :  "The  distinction  between 
home  and  foreign  missions  rests  upon  unclearness  with 
respect  to  the  missionary  idea."  He  insists  that  the  ob- 
jects of  missionary  endeavor  are  non-Christians  and 
concludes  that  the  term  "mission"  is  used  incorrectly 
not  only  in  the  designation  home  missions,  but  also 
when  applied  to  inner  missions.  For  the  latter  work 
he  would  prefer  the  term  "diaconics." 

We  agree  with  this  scholarly  teacher  and  sys- 
tematizer  of  missionary  principles  when  he  affirms 
that  "mission  work  is  the  work  of  Christianizing"  the 
nations.^  But  that  does  not  imply  that  the  nation  as 
a  whole  must  be  steeped  in  heathenism  before  it  be- 
comes an  object  of  mission  work,  nor  that  in  nom- 
inally Christian  nations  there  are  no  persons  who  are, 
in  a  true  and  proper  sense,  objects  for  missionary  en- 


'Compare  Note  1  in  the  Appendix. 


44  MISSION    STUDIES. 

deavor.  Those  who  are  in  need  of  Christianization 
are  not  only  the  heathen  who  have  never  heard  of 
Christ,  but  those,  too,  who,  even  under  the  shadow  of 
Christian  churches,  are  virtually  and  vitally  heathen. 
If  in  the  work  of  home  and  inner  missions  many  are 
dealt  with  who  are  Christians,  they  are  Christians  in 
need,  imperiled,  in  danger  of  losing  their  faith  and 
lapsing  into  virtual  heathenism.  To  rescue  such,  and 
save  them  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  is  a  form  of 
Christianization,  too.  And  besides,  in  both  spheres 
many  are  sought  out  and  won  for  the  Church  who 
are  no  Christians  at  all,  but  really  heathens,  unbelievers, 
worldlings,  strangers  from  the  covenants  of  promise. 
'*Far  ofif"  from  the  kingdom  of  God,  they  are  "made 
nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ"  (Eph.  2,  13)  and  brought 
into  His  kingdom  through  the  missionary  efforts  of 
the  Church. 

d.  This  view  is  supported  by  Scripture  and  con- 
firmed by  apostolic  missions. 

(i).  Look,  for  example,  at  the  expressions  used 
by  Christ  in  His  missionary  command,  in  the  various 
forms  in  which  it  is  found  in  the  Gospels  and  the  Acts. 
Go  into  all  the  world ;  make  disciples  of  all  the  na- 
tions ;  the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth ;  every  creature. 
Surely  these  terms  include  the  near  as  well  as  the 
remote.  The  heathen  at  our  doors  are  not  to  be  over- 
looked, nor  are  the  heathen  abroad  to  be  left  to  their 
fate.  Repentance  and  remission  of  sins  is  to  be 
preached  in  Christ's  name  among  all  nations,  begin- 
ning at  Jerusalem.  Luke  24,  47.  The  work  of  evan- 
gelization and  Christianization  is  to  begin  at  home 
and  extend  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth. 

(2).     And    this    is    the    very    course    taken    by 


Ch.    4.  THREE    MAIN    TOPICS.  45 

apostolic  missions.  Mission  work  began  in  Jerusalem 
when,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
poured  out  upon  the  disciples  and  apostles  whom 
Christ  had  chosen,  when  they  were  endued  with  power 
from  on  high,  according  to  the  Savior's  promise,  and 
when  three  thousand  souls  were  added  to  the  Church. 
From  here  the  work  continued,  first  in  the  immediate 
vicinity,  in  Samaria,  then  in  C^esarea  and  at  Anti- 
och ;  and  from  these  and  other  centers  the  Gospel  was 
carried  on  and  outward  North  and  South  and  East 
and  West.  This  is  in  reality  a  combination  of  home 
and  foreign  mission  work.  It  gives  to  the  Church 
for  all  time  a  principle  and  an  example  to  be  followed 
both  in  the  work  at  home  and  in  the  work  abroad  : 
we  are  to  influence  and  win  those  near  at  hand  and 
make  every  station  won  a  center  from  which,  in  ever 
widening  circles,  the  light  of  the  Gospel  is  carried 
outward  until  it  penetrates  the  darkest  corners  and 
the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 

4.  The  scope  of  the  present  discussion  of  the 
missionary  enterprise.  This  is  necessarily  and 
properly  limited  in  an  elementary  and  general  treatise. 
It  is  confined  to  fundamentals  and  essentials,  to  points 
of  general  importance  and  interest  to  those  engaged 
in  the  work,  leaving  out  of  view  many  topics  that  be- 
long to  the  technical  phases  of  the  enterprise  and 
enter  into  the  special  equipment  of  the  missionary  and 
the  administration  and  prosecution  of  the  work. 

With  this  limitation  in  view  we  confine  our  dis- 
cussion here  to  three  general  heads',  i.  The  Mis- 
sionary ;  2.  The  Ground  of  Mission  Work ;  3.  Mis- 
sionary Means  and  Methods.  And  even  these  sub- 
jects are  not  to  be   treated  exhaustively,   but   rather 


46  MISSION    STUDIES. 

electively  and  by  way  of  suggestion  of  the  main  points 
involved.  It  may  suffice  the  purpose  of  a  general 
grasp  of  the  missionary  enterprise  to  contemplate  the 
chief  worker,  his  personality  and  relations,  the  aim 
and  end  of  his  work,  its  motives  and  supports  and, 
in  a  very  general  way,  the  means  and  manner  of  its 
prosecution. 


L     The  Missionary. 


CHAPTER  V. 
HIS  CHARACTER  AND  QUALIFICATIONS. 

I.  General  importance  of  the  subject.  Apart 
from  the  missionary  himself,  this  topic  is  of  great  im- 
portance to  the  Church  at  large,  to  the  pastor  and  to 
every  Christian.  The  Church  must  supply  and  select, 
send  forth  and  maintain  the  missionaries.  The  latter 
go  forth  and  labor  in  a  representative  capacity, — 
to  do  in  person  and  in  the  service  of  the  Lord  and  of 
the  Church  the  work  which  the  Lord  of  the  harvest 
has  assigned  to  His  Church.  It  is,  therefore,  im- 
portant to  understand  what  sort  of  workers  are  needed 
and  what  quahfications  are  required.  Moreover,  such 
consideration  should  put  Christians  in  mind  of  the  life 
which  they  ought  earnestly  to  cultivate  in  their 
churches,  seeing  that  the  missionaries,  as  Christian 
workers  generally,  reflect  the  life  of  the  home  church.^ 

To  pastors  and  students  of  theology  this  topic  is 
of  particular  importance  because  of  the  need  of  mis- 
sionary spirited  pastors  in  every  parish.  Dr.  A.  C. 
Thompson,  in  one  of  his  lectures  to  students,  under 
the  heading,  ''Every  minister  a  missionary,"  says : 
''Whoever  in  the  sacred  office  remains  at  home  is  on 
this  account  none  the  less  held  to  service  in  the  general 
cause."-  This  phase  of  the  subject  will  be  more  fully 
discussed  in  a  later  chapter. 

*See  a  fine  paragraph  in  Speer's  Missionary  Principles 
a.t}(J  Prapti.ee,  p.  290  f.    ^Foreign  Missions,  p.  4. 

(47) 


48  MISSION    STUDIES. 

2.     Fundamental  character  and  characteristics. 

Certain  qualifications  are  common  to  all  workers  in 
the  Lord's  vineyard  —  and  that  includes  all  disciples 
and  professing  Christians  —  at  home  and  abroad,  in 
mission  fields  and  established  parishes,  in  all  ranks 
and  stations.  It  is  to  be  hoped  and  desired  that  they 
appear  in  keen  and  intensified  form  in  leaders,  pastors 
and  missionaries,  but  the  latter  are  not  different  in 
kind  from  the  rank  and  file  of  Christians.  Among  such 
general  Christian  qualifications  may  be  mentioned : 

a.  The  spiritual  gifts  of  faith  and  love.  These 
make  and  pervade  the  Christian  life  and  make  it  a 
force  in  spreading  the  light  and  life  that  Christ 
brought  into  the  world.  And  this  is  a  fundamental 
qualification  in  the  missionary.  He  is  a  messenger, 
sent  of  God  to  bear  the  message  of  salvation  to  men. 
He  is  to  "preach  the  Gospel  of  peace,"  Rom.  lo,  14-15, 
and  bring  to  the  poverty-stricken  and  perishing  of 
mankind  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  In  the 
preparatory  stages  of  mission  work  preaching,  oral 
teaching  and  testimony,  precedes  the  spreading  of  the 
truth  in  written  form.  And  it  remains  one  of  the 
chief  functions  of  the  missionary  throughout  his 
career.  The  Lord  in  His  wisdom  and  mercy  has  pro- 
vided that  His  message  to  mankind  be  conveyed  and 
delivered  by  living  agents,  men  sinful  and  faulty  in 
themselves,  but  saved  and  sanctified  by  grace  and  able 
and  eager  to  tell  to  others  what  the  Lord  has  done 
for  them.  It  would  not  suffice  to  send  Bibles  to  the 
heathen,  even  though  they  were  able  to  read  the  Word 
in  their  own  tongue.  Study  such  passages  as  Mark 
16,  15  —  "preach  the  Gospel";    Acts  i,  8  —  "ye  shall 


Ch.    5.  FUNDAMENTAL    QUALIFICATIONS.  49 

be  witnesses  unto  me" ;  Matt.  24,  14  —  the  Gospel  is 
to  be  preached  "for  a  zvitness  unto  all  nations." 

This  is  the  qualification  that  makes  every  true 
Christian  a  missionary.  Living  faith  is  followed  by 
confession,  impels  to  utterance,  as  it  is  written, 
2  Cor.  4,  13:  ''I  beHeved,  and  therefore  have  I 
spoken ;  we  also  believe  and  therefore  speak."  What 
we  have  received  is  not  only  to  be  kept,  but  to  be  com- 
municated. If  Christ  has  become  all  in  all  to  us,  we 
will  want  to  make  Him  known  to  others,  that  He  may 
become  their  possession,  too. 

h.  Intelligent  and  whole-souled  interest  in  the 
missionary  enterprise.  There  must  be  ability  and  wil- 
lingness to  get  a  broad  and  deep  grasp  of  the  work 
in  the  light  of  God's  Word.  What  is  needed  in  the 
efficient  and  successful  worker  is  personal  devotion 
that  is  not  fitful  and  transitory,  but  abiding  and  grow- 
ing. If  we  have  embraced  Christ  as  our  Savior  and 
Lord,  it  is  for  life,  and  that  implies  service  for  life. 
That  should  be  the  motto  and  watchword  both  for 
the  Christian  at  home  and  for  the  missionary  abroad 
—  life  service.  Nothing  less  than  that  purpose  is 
worthy  of  a  disciple  of  Him  who  said,  "My  meat  is 
to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  me,  and  to  finish  His 
work,"  John  4,  34 ;  and  again :  "I  must  work  the 
works  of  Him  that  sent  me  while  it  is  day,  the  night 
Cometh  when  no  man  can  work,"  John  9,  4. 

If  it  is  a  piece  of  intolerable  hypocrisy  for  a 
person  to  be  only  a  nominal  Christian,  to  make  a 
Christian  profession  with  the  mouth  while  the  heart 
is  consciously  far  from  God,  much  more  intolerable 
and  abominable  is  it  in  the  pastor  and  missionary  to 
presume  to  occupy  the   holy  office   from   motives  of 


50  MISSION    STUDIES. 

carnal  convenience  or  advantage,  with  no  heart  and 
Hfe  interest  in  the  work.  Matthew  Henry  has  well 
said :  ''The  Gospel  ministry  is  a  noble  calling,  but 
a  wretched  trade." 

3.  Special  qualifications  of  the  missionary. 
There  was  a  time  when  many  thought  that  anybody, 
men  with  the  most  meager  talents  and  equipment, 
would  do  for  the  ministry  and  the  mission  field.  Very 
few  persons  hold  that  mistaken  notion  today.  It  is 
known  now  and  generally  recognized  that  both  spheres 
of  service  require  superior  men,  —  the  best  that  the 
churches  can  furnish,  and  men  equipped  with  the  best 
training  attainable.  The  standard  of  requirement  for 
foreign  missionary  appointment  has  in  recent  years 
been  raised  in  all  the  leading  missionary  societies  and 
boards. 

In  addition  to  the  general  qualifications  that  have 
been  mentioned  and  that  dare  not  be  lacking,  there  are 
many  other  characteristics  and  traits  that  go  to  con- 
stitute the  successful  missionary.  We  can  only  briefly 
and  in  a  summary  way  outline  the  subject  here,  re- 
ferring the  reader  to  the  Notes  at  the  end  of  the  book 
for  further  elucidation. 

a.  Physical  health  and  strength  is  an  important 
factor  to  consider  with  reference  to  service  in  the 
Church  in  any  official  capacity.  As  it  is  a  mistake  to 
select  physically  weak  and  infirm  boys  as  prospective 
candidates  for  the  ministry,  so  it  would  be  a  serious 
blunder  to  overlook  this  requirement  in  missionary  ap- 
pointment. On  account  of  climate,  unsanitary  con- 
ditions, exposure,  and  the  like,  the  demands  upon 
health  and  strength  are  usually  much  greater  in 
foreign  mission  fields. 


Ch.    5.  TEACHER    AND    LEADER.  51 

b.  Intellectual  gifts  and  acquirements.  It  is  suf- 
ficient for  our  present  purpose  to  consider  these  under 
two  heads:  There  must  be  ability  in  two  directions, 
(i)  as  a  teacher  and  (2)  as  a  leader. 

(i)  The  gift  of  teaching.  Among  the  apostoHc 
requirements  made  upon  one  who  desires  to  be  a 
minister  is  this,  that  he  be  "apt  to  teach."  i  Tim.  5,  2. 
That  impHes  that  he  possesses  the  necessary  knowledge 
and  is  able  to  impart  it.  How  essential  this  is  for  the 
successful  missionary  is  apparent.  His  natural  talents 
need  careful  training.  The  Twelve  were  called  to  be 
disciples  before  they  were  made  apostles,  —  first 
learners,  then  messengers.  The  missionary,  like  the 
minister  at  home,  must  have  a  true  student  spirit. 
Though  he  may  never  become  what  the  world  calls 
''learned,"  he  must  be  and  continue  eager  to  learn. 
And,  as  a  missionary  writer  has  said,  "the  study  of 
all  studies  for  the  missionary  is  the  study  of  God's 
Word."^  Said  a  missionary  to  a  class  of  students: 
"Steep  your  minds  in  Scripture."  And  this  to  the 
end  that  they  may,  by  God's  grace,  become  more 
efficient  in  imparting  out  of  their  treasure  things  new 
and  old  and  winning  souls  for  Christ. 

(2)  The  gift  of  leadership.  No  man  can  be  a 
successful  minister  or  missionary  without  this  gift  in 
some  measure.  And  a  great  many  qualities  are  com- 
prised in  it.  The  missionary  is  called  upon  to  deal 
with  all  sorts  of  men  and  to  meet  a  variety  of  con- 
ditions. To  do  this  successfully  he  must  have  a  well 
balanced  judgment,  tact,  perseverance  and  patience. 


^Principal  Drury,  of  London,  in  The  Call,  Qualifications 
and  Preparation  of  Candidates  for  Foreign  Missionary  Serrice. 


52  MISSION   STUDIES. 

Backed  by  many  years'  experience  in  the  mission 
field.  Dr.  J.  Chamberlain,  of  India,  gave  a  terse  sum- 
mary of  missionary  qualifications  in  these  words : 
"What  further  is  needed"  (besides  good  health)  "may 
all  be  summed  up  in  the  old  minister's  'three  royal  G's' 
—  Grace,  Grit,  and  Gumption."  By  this  he  means 
consecration  to  Christ,  perseverance  in  the  perform- 
ance of  duty,  and  ability  to  adapt  oneself  to  circum- 
stances, to  make  the  best  of  his  surroundings,  etc. 

In  conclusion,  let  us  note  a  qualification  that 
shows  the  true  temper  and  spirit  of  men  who  aspire 
to  the  noblest  service,  whether  in  the  pastorate  or  in 
the  mission  field.  It  is  unllingness  to  go  wherever 
the  Lord  calls  or  sends,  and  readiness  to  endure  hard- 
ness as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ.  What  if  you 
who  have  assayed  to  serve  the  Captain  of  our  salva- 
tion in  this  capacity  find  conditions  in  the  field  far 
dififerent  from  what  you  had  expected?  What  if  you 
encounter  unforseen  difficulties  and  obstacles?  Are 
you  going  to  despair  on  that  account  or  give  up  and 
turn  back  ?  What  have  you  gone  out  for  at  all  if  it  is 
not  to  overcome  difficulties?  Surely,  you  have  not 
entered  upon  this  office  and  service  seeking  an  easy 
place,  making  personal  comfort  and  ease  the  chief 
requisite.  Be  a  man.  Be  a  man  of  God.  Be  loyal 
to  the  Lord  whose  you  are  and  whom  you  serve.  And 
He  will  sustain  you.  His  grace  will  be  sufficient  for 
you. 

At  the  close  of  a  fine  presentation  of  the  qualifi- 
cations of  the  missionary  Dr.  Warneck  recommends 
the  study  of  missionary  biographies  as  the  best  means 
of  learning,  by  concrete  example,  what  goes  to  con- 


Ch.    5.  MISSIONARY     QUALIFICATIONS.  53 

stitute    an    efficient    missionary.      "Good    models,"    he 
says,  "are  at  once  good  mirrors  and  good  schools."^ 


^Compare  Note  2  in  the  Appendix  for  further   remarks 
and  references  on  the  subject  of  this  chapter. 


M 


CHAPTER  VL 

HIS  COMMISSION. 

In  this  chapter  we  speak  of  the  missionary  as  he 
is  sent  forth  from  the  home  church  and  goes  to  the 
field  of  labor  assigned  him.  Who  is  to  send  him  and 
by  what  authority?  Who  is  back  of  him  to  oversee 
and  direct  the  administration  and  support  of  the  work  ? 
This  necessarily  involves  also  the  question  of  rein- 
forcements. For  it  is  presumed  that  the  work  has 
been  taken  up  with  a  view  not  only  to  its  beginning 
but  to  its  continuance  and  completion. 

I.  Necessity  of  competent  authority  and  order. 
Redemption  is  finished,  salvation  is  free.  It  has  been 
prepared  by  Christ  for  all  mankind.  The  good  tidings 
are  to  be  published  abroad.  Only  those  who  hear  the 
glad  Evangel  can  be  profited  by  it.  How  shall  the 
communication  be  made?  By  the  individuals  who 
have  received  the  unspeakable  good  as  they  may  be 
impelled  and  may  have  opportunity  to  impart  it?  In 
the  very  nature  of  the  case  there  is  such  an  impulse. 
And  the  fact,  that  the  early  Christians  were  true  to 
it  and  bore  witness  of  Christ  wherever  they  were  and 
whithersoever  they  went,  accounts  to  a  large  extent 
for  the  rapid  and  wide  spread  of  Christianity  in  the 
apostolic  age.  But  it  is  apparent,  and  history  shows, 
how  unsafe  it  would  have  been  to  have  depended  on 
such  voluntary  and  unsystematized  witnessing  and 
preaching  alone,  without  some  provision  for  the 
orderly  conduct  and  continuance  of  the  work, 

(54) 


Ch.    6.  AUTHORITY    AND    ORDER    NEEDED.  55 

Our  Lord  in  His  wisdom  made  such  provision. 
Not,  indeed,  by  organizing  a  missionary  society  in 
the  modern  sense,  but  by  laying  down  fundamental 
principles  to  govern  the  work,  just  as  He  did  with 
reference  to  the  Church  which  He  founded,  leaving 
it  to  His  faithful  people  under  the  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  work  out,  under  varying  conditions, 
the  problems  of  organization  and  methods  of  work. 
Christ  made  the  needful  provision  by  giving  what  we 
know  as  His  missionary  command  to  His  chosen 
apostles  and  to  the  Church  at  large,  further  confirm- 
ing and  illumining  these  instructions  by  His  extraor- 
dinary appointment  of  St.  Paul  to  be  the  special 
"Apostle  to  the  Gentiles." 

The  "Great  Commission"  (Matt.  28,  18-20;  etc.) 
is  the  fundamental  statute  of  the  missionary  enter- 
prise. It  does  not  repress  the  sanctified  impulse  of 
the  disciple  to  tell  out  the  good  news  of  salvation,  but 
neither  does  it  leave  the  needful  work  to  chance  or 
caprice,  to  arbitrary  choice  between  performance  or 
neglect,  to  fitful,  uncertain  and  unregulated  efifort. 
Christ's  command  comes  with  divine  authority  to  the 
Church  and  is  all-sufficient  for  the  purpose.  He  did 
not  utter  needless  words  or  hamper  the  progress  of 
His  work  by  superfluous  and  bewildering  details.  The 
brevity  of  His  utterance  of  great  principles  and  the 
simplicity  and  ordinariness  of  their  surroundings  is 
marvelous  to  behold.^  So  with  the  missionary  com- 
mand.    Short  and  to  the  point !     Full  and  final !     It 


^  Note,  for  example,  John  4,  24 :  a  new  principle  of 
Christian  worship;  or  John  11,  25.26:  the  immortal  power  of 
His  resurrection.  How  comprehensive  and  potent  and  far- 
reaching  these  truths ! 


56  MISSION    STUDIES. 

involves  authority,  obligation,  aim,  means,  and  the 
promise  of  success. 

The  apostles  were  slow,  even  after  Pentecost,  in 
comprehending  the  world-wide  character  and  intent 
of  the  commission.  They  were  hampered  by  national 
and  local  prejudices.  They  did  not  understand  just 
how  the  heathen  were  to  be  gathered  into  the  kingdom 
of  Christ.  The  appointment  of  St.  Paul,  in  addition 
to  the  original  apostles,  with  emphasis  upon  the 
extra-Judaic,  ethnic  sphere  of  his  labors,  (Acts  22,  21  ; 
26,  17;  Rom.  I,  5;  Gal.  2,  7  and  8;  etc.),  threw 
light  upon  Christ's  universal  missionary  command  and 
left  no  doubt  as  to  its  world-encircling  scope. 

2.  Divine  authority  and  commission.  How 
shortsighted  it  is  for  any  one  to  treat  the  missionary 
enterprise  as  though  it  were  a  man-chosen  and  man- 
made  work !  It  is  God's  work.  The  missionary  idea 
is  God's  thought.  Mission  work  is  God's  plan.  It  is 
as  old  as  the  eternal  counsels  of  God  with  reference 
to  the  salvation  of  mankind.  In  the  fulness  of  time 
those  gracious  counsels  were  realized  in  the  mission 
of  God's  Only-begotten  Son.  He  is  the  One  sent  from 
God,  the  pioneer  Missionary  from  heaven,  the  chief 
Commander,  as  He  is  the  type  and  model,  of  all  mis- 
sionaries. Christ  sent  forth  His  disciples  just  as  the 
Father  had  sent  Him.  John  20,  21.  That  is  the  plain 
answer  to  the  question  as  to  who  really  and  originally 
sends  out  Christian  missionaries.  They  are  messengers 
of  Christ,  even  as  Christian  ministers  are  ambassadors 
of  Christ.  2  Cor.  4.  20.  Of  course,  there  is  a  dis- 
tinction to  be  made. 

a.  The  mission  of  the  apostles.  Their  commis- 
sion,   their   appointment    as   apostles    or   missionaries. 


Ch.    6.  DIVINE     AUTHORITY.  57 

like  their  call  to  discipleship,  was  immediate,  that  is, 
it  took  place  by  Christ  in  person,  without  the  inter- 
vention of  human  agency.  And  for  their  work,  the 
work  of  planting  and  extending  the  Church,  they  en- 
joyed the  special  illumination  and  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  And  yet,  even  in  their  case,  and  during 
their  lifetime,  preparation  and  call  or  commission 
through  human  agency  are  not  excluded.  Note  the 
action  of  the  church  at  Jerusalem  in  recognizing  and 
endorsing  the  work  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  at  Antioch, 
and  in  sending  representatives  to  assist  and  co-operate 
with  the  brethren  there.  Acts  15,  22.  Note  further 
the  sending  forth  of  Paul  and  Barnabas  as  missionaries 
by  the  congregation  at  Antioch,  Acts  13,  1-3;  the  ap- 
pointment by  St.  Paul  of  Aquila  and  Priscilla,  Acts 
18,  3.  19 ;  Rom.  16,  3  ;  Timothy,  ordained  and  com- 
missioned, Acts  16,  3;    I  Tim.  4,  14. 

b.  The  sending  forth  of  later  missionaries.  It 
would  betray  a  fundamental  misapprehension  of  all 
Scripture,  to  think  of  limiting  Christ's  missionary  com- 
mand to  the  apostles  and  of  denying  to  later  mis- 
sionaries the  honor  and  joy  of  being  likewise  com- 
missioned by  Christ.  Such  commission  is  on  a  par 
with  the  call  to  the  Christian  ministry  and  pastorate. 
The  call  takes  place  mediately,  that  is,  through  the 
intervention  of  human  agency,  through  the  Church ; 
but  that  does  not  exclude  or  supplant  the  authority 
and  the  sovereignty  of  Christ,  the  Head  of  the  Church. 
Hiose  who  are  rightly  called  and  sent  are  ministers 
and  missionaries  of  Christ.  The  inner  conviction,  wil- 
lingness and  desire  to  serve  the  Lord  in  the  holy  office 
(wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  heart:  faith  im- 
pelling to  utterance,  2  Cor.  4,   13;    love  constraining 


58  MISSION   STUDIES. 

to  service,  John  21,  15-17,  2  Cor.  5,  14;  the  urgency 
of  the  desire  to  impart,  Acts  4,  20;  etc.)  is  tried,  ap- 
proved and  confirmed  by  the  Church  that  extends  the 
formal  call  and  gives  the  commission  in  Christ's  name. 
Rom.  10,  15:  ''How  shall  they  preach  except  they 
be  sent?" 

The  minister  and  missionary  of  the  Church,  w^ho 
is  a  servant  of  God  and  an  ambassador  for  Christ,  has 
every  reason  to  realize  and  magnify  this  relation  to 
the  King  of  kings.  He  is  a  pitiable  hireling  if  he 
doesn't.  Such  an  one  has  degraded  the  holy  calling 
to  a  wretched  trade.  The  true  Christian  minister  and 
messenger  serves  the  Church  in  the  joyful  conviction 
of  being  in  the  service,  under  the  direction  and  care, 
of  the  Lord  of  glory.  To  realize  that  he  is,  in  a  most 
true  and  real  sense,  a  servant,  a  messenger,  an  am- 
bassador of  the  Most  High,  even  of  the  court  of 
heaven,  this  imparts  dignity  to  his  office  and  value 
to  his  work,  mitigates  and  glorifies  hardships,  makes 
him  courageous,  hopeful  and  preserving,  lifts  him 
above  the  incidental  features  of  time,  place  and  con- 
dition, and  rivets  his  view  upon  the  abiding  possessions 
of  heaven  and  heavenly  glory.  Let  the  candidate  duly 
meditate  upon  the  high  honor,  the  great  responsibility, 
the  immortal  glory  of  the  holy  service. 

3.  Churchly  authority  and  commission.  Christ 
gave  the  Great  Commission  to  the  whole  Church,  to 
all  disciples  and  Christians,  both  in  their  individual 
and  corporate  capacity,  to  be  carried  out,  according 
to  opportunities  and  conditions,  in  ways  that  are  in 
harmony  with  the  principles  of  His  Word.  He  laid 
the  commission  as  a  sacred  privilege  and  obligation 
upon   the   Church    without   specifying  the   mode   and 


Ch.    6.  CHURCHLY    AUTHORITY.  59 

manner  of  its  execution.  This  was  left  for  His  people 
to  determine  and  develop  in  accordance  with  the  spirit 
and  principles  of  the  Holy  Scriptures. 

During  the  centuries  that  have  elapsed  since 
Christ's  ascension  three  modes  of  administration,  in 
the  main,  have  been  tried  and  put  in  operation :  in- 
dividual endeavor,  independent  societies,  and  church 
administration.  We  will  confine  our  attention  to  the 
second  and  third  modes,  dismissing  the  first  one  with 
only  a  few  words.  Individual  missions,  carried  on 
apart  from  the  Church  and  its  institutions,  by  free 
lances  that  wish  to  follow  their  individual  bent  or 
whims,  as  may  be,  cannot  stand  approved  or  justified 
in  the  light  of  God's  Word.  Except  under  extraor- 
dinary conditions,  when  the  way  of  churchly  order 
is  entirely  out  of  the  question,  they  are  irregular  and 
disorderly  efiforts  and  have  generally  ended  in  con- 
fusion and  failure.^  We  proceed  to  a  brief  discussion 
of  the  other  two  modes  of  administration. 

a.  Independent  societies.  While  here  in  America 
the  work  of  foreign  missions  is  almost  universally 
carried  on  by  denominations  and  churches  and  synods 
as  such,  administered  through  their  duly  appointed 
boards,  in  Europe,  v/ith  only  few^  exceptions,  the  work 
is  carried  on  and  administered  by  societies  that  were 
organized   and   are   maintained    independently   of   the 


^  Compare  Warneck,  Missionslehre  II,  p.  \2fi.  Also  in 
The  Foreign  Missionary  by  Brown,  the  testimony  of  Wm.  T. 
Ellis,  who  made  a  special  investigation  of  mission  work  in 
1907.  He  wrote  from  Asia :  "My  own  observation  leads  me 
to  conclude  that  they  (independent  missionaries)  make  more 
stir  in  the  home  land,  where  their  money  is  being  raised,  than 
they  do  here.    They  are  usually  temporary,"  etc, 


60  MISSION   STUDIES. 

established  churches.  How  does  this  come,  and  is  this 
form  of  administration  justifiable? 

Before  the  present  societies  were  called  into  ex- 
istence, at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  and  early  dec- 
ades of  the  nineteenth  centuries,  there  were  a  few 
older  missions  of  small  compass  that  were  carried  on 
under  the  official  direction  of  the  churches.  Among 
these  may  be  mentioned  the  Danish-Halle  Mission,  the 
Greenland  Mission  (Egede),  and  the  Moravian  Mis- 
sion. The  latter  has  continued  to  this  day  to  be  carried 
on  under  the  auspices  of  the  Moravian  Church. 

When,  under  the  Lord's  providence,  open  doors 
invited  the  Church  to  renewed  missionary  eflPort,  the 
apathy  of  the  churches  both  in  Germany  and  England 
was  such  as  to  defeat  any  attempt  to  rouse  the 
churches  as  such  to  undertake  the  work.  The  au- 
thorities, councils  and  leading  men  strenuously  op- 
posed every  suggestion  and  continued  in  this  position 
of  hostility  for  many  years.  So  it  came  about  that 
missionary  interest  and  effort  were  confined  to  Pietistic 
circles,  and  these  gatherings  of  friends  and  supporters 
of  missions  within  the  churches  gradually  led  to  the 
organization  of  the  existing  independent  societies. 
And  the  churchly  conditions  in  Europe  as  regards  the 
state  churches  are  still  such  as  to  make  the  continu- 
ance of  the  work  in  this  form  advisable  rather  than 
to  risk  the  stability  and  soundness  of  the  enterprise 
by  turning  over  its  management  to  the  state  churches. 

This  arrangement  is  doubtless  the  best  attainable 
under  the  circumstances.  It  was  begotten  out  of  the 
exigencies  of  the  times,  has  proved  to  be  a  very  suc- 
cessful and  efficient  mode  of  administration,  and  may 
be  regarded  as  substantially  meeting,  under  the  give^ 


Ch.    6.         ADMINISTRATION    BY   THE    CHURCH.  61 

conditions,    the    fundamental    demands    of    Scriptural 
principles. 

b.  Church  administration.  As  stated  above,  here 
in  the  United  States,  where  churches  are  independent 
of  the  state,  the  work  is  carried  on,  as  under  normal 
conditions  it  should  be,  by  whole  churches  and  synods. 
Even  Dr.  Warneck,  while  he  justifies  the  existence  and 
maintenance  of  the  independent  societies  of  Europe, 
concedes  that  our  mode  comes  nearer  to  "the  ideal 
solution  of  the  problem."^  There  can  be  no  question 
about  the  correctness  of  the  principle  or  the  practical 
advantages  of  this  mode  of  administration.  The  mis- 
sionary enterprise  has  been  laid  as  a  task  upon  the 
whole  Church.  To  the  Church  as  it  appears  on 
earth  and  is  organized  for  church  work,  the  congre- 
gation of  believers  who  make  united  confession  of 
their  faith,  to  which  the  Lord  has  entrusted  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  means  of  grace,  which  is  competent 
and  obligated  to  call  ministers  and  maintain  the 
ministry,  —  to  this  body  the  missionary  command  is 
given.  Accordingly  the  Church  is  properly  the  body 
which  should  send  out  missionaries  and  supervise  and 
support  their  work.  The  Church  has  a  duty  and  a 
responsibility  which  it  cannot  shirk  or  shift  with  im- 
punity. If  it  neglects  its  duty  and  by  neglect  forces 
the  responsibility  upon  others,  it  must  suffer  the  con- 
sequences of  its  unfaithfulness. 

The  Christian  congregation,  as  such,  whether 
large  or  small,  is  in  possession  of  the  means  of  grace 
and,   from  the  standpoint  of  principle,  competent   to 


^Cf.  his  elaborate  discussions   in  the  second  volume  of 
his  Miissionslehre. 


62  MISSION   STUDIES. 

perform  all  the  functions  of  the  Church.  But  as  many 
enterprises  exceed  the  ability  of  a  single  congregation, 
it  is  the  part  of  wisdom  and  in  accord  with  Christian 
principles  for  congregations  of  the  same  faith  to  join 
together  for  the  more  efficient  and  successful  prose- 
cution of  such  undertakings.  So  it  comes  about  that 
general  bodies  have  been  formed,  whether  they  be 
called  synods  or  bear  other  names,  according  to  the 
church  polity  in  vogue.  Such  general  bodies,  then, 
have  authority  to  carry  on  the  general  work  of  the 
congregations  so  uniting.  They  manage  the  work 
through  boards  or  otherwise,  committees  that  get  in- 
structions from  and  are  responsible  to  the  general 
body.  Missionary  societies  in  the  congregations  of 
such  a  body  are  only  auxiliaries  organized  for  the 
systematic  gathering  of  resources  for  the  work. 

We  are  glad  to  find  in  one  of  the  books  pub- 
lished by  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement  such  a 
sound  plea  as  Dr.  Lawrence  makes  for  * 'direct  par- 
ticipation by  the  churches  in  the  administration  of  the 
mission  work.  Volunteer  societies  and  close  corpora- 
tions are  often  a  necessary  makeshift  when  the  church 
is  not  as  yet  awake  to  its  privileges.  But  the  true 
mission  society  is  the  church  itself,  and  everything 
else  should  only  prepare  for  the  time  when  the  church 
shall  administer  its  great  enterprise."^ 


^Introduction  to  the  Study  of  Foreign  Missions,  p.  140. 
Note  also  the  instructive  chapter  (III.)  on  missionary  ad- 
ministration in  Brown's  The  Foreign  Missionary.  He  tells 
us,  for  example,  that  ''in  general,  it  may  be  said  that  the  per- 
centage of  administration  proper  ranges  from  five  to  eight  per 
cent.     That   is,  it  takes  but   little  more  than   the   value  of  a 


Ch.    6.  PREPARATION     OF     MISSIONARIES.  63 

4.  Corresponding  duty  of  the  Church.  La- 
borers are  to  be  furnished  and  additional  supplies  and 
reinforcements,  as  the  work  expands.  The  Church's 
duty,  aside  from  technical  administration,  may  be 
summed  up  under  two  heads :  a.  To  supply  and 
equip  suitable  workmen,  and  b.  to  support  them  in 
their  work. 

a.  The  supply  of  men  and  training  of  mis- 
sionaries. Men !  How  are  we  to  secure  them  ?  Just 
now  there  is  in  many  denominations  a  growing  dearth 
of  ministers  for  the  home  fields  and  pastorates.  In 
most  of  the  theological  seminaries  the  classes  are  rela- 
tively small,  and  new  recruits  are  few  and  hard  to 
find.  The  attractiveness  and  secular  inducements  of 
other  pursuits  draw  away  from  the  churchly  service 
many  of  the  brightest  minds  and  stoutest  hearts.  With 
all  the  earnest  efforts  of  the  Student  Volunteer  Move- 
ment for  Foreign  Missions,  the  number  of  suitable 
missionary  candidates,  while  it  has  been  growing  in 
an  encouraging  manner,  is  none  too  great. 

This  is  not  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the 
Church  that  the  harvest  is  plenteous  and  pressing, 
while  the  laborers  are  few.  It  was  so  in  Christ's  day. 
What  did  He  do  and  say  and  recommend  ?  If  we  have 
His  word  in  the  matter,  we  may  be  assured  of  an 
efficient  remedy  and  relief.  Now,  we  have  His  word. 
He  has  spoken.  And  surely  it  is  one  of  the  words  of 
Jesus  that  is  familiar  to  every  Christian.     'Tray  ye 


foreign  postage  stamp  to  send  a  dollar  to  Asia  or  Africa." 
This  in  answer  to  the  plea  of  some  objectors,  that  the  ad- 
ministration of  missions   is  very  expensive   and   wasteful. 


64  MISSION    STUDIES. 

therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  He  will  send 
forth  laborers  into  His  harvest."     Matt.  9,  38. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  of  the  harvest. 
It  is  His  harvest.  The  missionary  enterprise  is  His. 
He  only  can  raise  up  the  right  men,  endow  them  with 
His  gifts  and  make  them  willing  and  efficient  workers, 
chosen  vessels  unto  Him.  Why  does  He  not  do  it? 
Wonderful,  indeed,  it  is  that  He  has  made  such  a  vital 
matter  contingent  upon  the  faith  and  faithfulness  of 
His  people.  This  fact  ought  to  lead  to  very  serious 
reflection. 

Are  we,  then,  we,  the  people  of  His  pasture  and 
sheep  of  His  hand,  we  who  are  His  "pecuhar  people" 
whose  peculiar  calling  it  is  to  be  "zealous  of  good 
works,"  are  we  closing  the  windows  of  heaven?  Are 
we  clogging  the  wheels  of  the  Lord's  chariot?  Are 
we  hindering  the  progress  of  His  work  ?  —  By  our 
prayerlessness ?  our  coldness  and  formality  in  prayer? 
our  neglect  of  prayer  ?  —  No  amount  of  money  con- 
tributions can  make  good  or  atone  for  neglect  at  this 
point.  Our  Lord  said  a  good  deal  about  money  and 
stewardship  with  reference  to  His  kingdom.  But  as 
regards  the  supply  of  workmen  —  ministers  and  mis- 
sionaries. He  gave  this  one  plain  and  specific  sug- 
gestion and  direction:     ''Pray  ye!" 

If,  as  a  Church,  we  were  really  fulfilling  our 
Lord's  behest,  other  favoring  conditions  and  conduct 
would  ensue:  a  more  spiritual  atmosphere  and  life 
in  our  churches  and  homes  and  schools ;  greater  bold- 
ness and  persuasive  power  with  boys  and  girls,  young 
men  and  women,  whose  talents  and  energies  are  so 
greatly  needed  in  the  ministry  and  missionary  service, 
the  deaconess  calling,  and  the  like. 


Ch.    6.  SUPPORT    OF     MISSIONARIES.  65 

The  Church  must  provide  for  the  proper  educa- 
tion and  training  of  its  workmen.  We  cannot  depend 
on  secular  schools  for  this  purpose.  And  this  con- 
sideration makes  adequate  equipment  of  our  church 
institutions  an  urgent  necessity.  This  is  a  very  im- 
portant item  in  mission  work,  both  home  and  foreign, 
and  demands  the  most  earnest  attention  of  Christian 
people. 

The  larger  foreign  missionary  societies  of  Europe 
have  special  training  schools  for  their  missionaries, — 
seminaries  that  give  a  four  to  six  years'  course  of 
training  with  special  reference  to  the  missionary 
service.  In  this  country  churches  depend  upon  their 
regular  colleges  and  seminaries  for  this  purpose. 

b.  Moral  and  financial  support  of  the  mission- 
aries. We  put  the  moral  first,  because  it  is  foremost 
in  its  bearing  upon  interest  at  home  and  encourage- 
ment out  in  the  field.  It  is  the  assurance  that  comes 
to  the  missionaries  in  many  w^ays  that  the  church  at 
home  cares  for  them,  remembers  them,  is  praying  for 
them,  —  ''holding  the  ropes."  The  experience  of  Jud- 
son  at  a  critical  period  of  his  work  in  Burma  may 
have  been  extreme,  but  in  some  measure  it  has  come 
to  the  lot  of  many  a  missionary.  In  the  agony  of  dis- 
appointment and  discouragement  Judson  cried:  "I 
thought  they  loved  me,  and  they  would  scarce  have 
known  it,  if  I  had  died !  I  thought  they  were  praying 
for  us,  and  they  have  never  once  thought  of  us!" 
The  isolation  and  loneliness  of  the  missionaries  is 
often  excruciating.  And  then  to  think  that  they  are 
practically  forgotten  at  home!  At  most  their  small 
salaries  supplied !     No,  let  them  have,  first  and  fore- 


66  MISSION    STUDIES. 

most,  indubitable  evidences  of  the  church's  personal 
interest  and  moral  support/ 

As  for  salaries,  they  are  relatively  small,  all  out 
of  proportion,  from  a  business,  secular  standpoint,  to 
the  character  and  amount  of  the  services  rendered. 
There  are  no  princely  salaries  anywhere  in  mission 
fields,  in  any  stations  and  positions,  from  the  lowest 
to  the  highest.-  The  boards,  as  a  rule,  are  faithful 
in  the  punctual  payment  of  the  salaries  of  their  mis- 
sionaries, even  though  debts  must  be  temporarily  in- 
curred. 

The  Laymen's  Missionary  Movement  that  has 
arisen  and  is  extending  in  many  churches  is  significant 
and  full  of  promise.  In  addition  to  the  women  and 
children  and  young  people,  to  whose  interest  and 
activity  the  work  of  missions  had  been  practically  con- 
fined in  many  quarters,  there  is  now,  on  a  growing 
scale,  the  enlistment  of  men,  grown  men,  busy  men, 
business  men,  men  of  affairs,  of  large  financial  in- 
terests, broad  commercial  or  professional  experience, 
and  the  like.  Such  talent,  enlisted,  sanctified,  conse- 
crated, made  fit  and  meet  for  the  Master's  use,  will 
surely  lead  under  the  divine  blessing  to  large  results. 


^On  the  heroism  of  isolation  read  some  typical  illustra- 
tions given  in  Speer's  Missionary  Principles  and  Practice, 
p.  402  ff. 

^Cf.  the  telling  information  given  by  Secretary  Brown 
on  the  missionary's  financial  support,  chapter  VIT  in  The 
Foreign  Missionary. 


CHAPTER  VIL 
HIS  MISSION.     THE  PURPOSE  AND  AIM  OF  MISSIONS. 

Much  confusion  prevails  on  this  topic  in  mis- 
sionary literature,  owing  to  misapprehension  of  the 
true  purpose  of  Christian  missions  as  well  as  to  di- 
vergent meanings  attached  to  terms  and  phrases  that 
are  used.  Hence  we  present  the  subject  first  nega- 
tively, and  then  positively,,  thus  endeavoring  to  rule 
out  some  of  the  grossest  misconceptions  at  the  outset 
and  to  clear  the  ground  for  a  profitable  discussion  of 
the  true  aim  of  mission  work  in  the  light  of  Holy 
Scripture. 

I.  The  real  aim  of  missions  is  not  civilization 
and  culture.  As  Secretary  Speer  has  so  well  and 
forcibly  urged  this  important  truth  on  many  occa- 
sions/ the  purpose  and  aim  of  the  Church  in  sending 
out  missionaries  is  not  to  alter  the  style  of  dress  of 
the  heathen,  not  to  improve  the  industrial  conditions 
of  Asia  and  Africa,  not  to  reform  politics,  not, 
primarily,  to  reform  morals  or  check  social  abuses. 
The  assertion  of  one  who  claimed  that  the  foreign  mis- 
sion must  aim  at  the  total  reorganization  of  the  whole 
social  fabric  of  the  heathen  world  he  very  properly 
declares  to  be  "a  mischievous  doctrine."  The  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  heart  and  soul,  the  radiating 
center  and  inspiring  force  of  the  Christian  missionary 


'Cf.  section  IV  and  V  of  his  Missionary  Principles  and 
Practice,  on  the  topics :  "What  are  Christian  missionaries 
trying  to  do?"  and  'The  aim  of  Christian  missions." 

(67) 


68  MISSION    STUDIES. 

enterprise.  And  the  Gospel  does  not  aim  primarily 
and  directly  at  the  improvement  of  the  temporal,  the 
social,  civil,  political  and  industrial  conditions  of  man- 
kind. The  distinguishing  characteristic  of  Christ  as 
the  founder  of  a  new  religion  is  that  He  came  not  to 
he  a  Reformer  in  temporal  matters,  but  to  be  a  Savior 
in  matters  pertaining  to  immortality  and  eternity.  The 
spread  of  the  Gospel  —  the  power  of  God  unto  salva- 
tion, Rom.  I,  i6,  and  of  vital  godliness  which  "is 
profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life 
that  now  is  and  of  that  which  is  to  come,"  i  Tim.  4,  8 
— is  accompanied  and  followed  by  vast  changes  and 
improvements  in  temporal  conditions,  moral  and  social 
transformations  in  the  lives  of  individuals  and  of  na- 
tions, but  the  aim  of  the  Gospel  is  far  higher  and  has 
to  do  with  matters  of  far  more  serious  import. 

a.  Christian  missions  sJwzv  large  results  along 
the  line  of  civilisation  and  culture  and  moral  improve- 
ments. These  are  so  vast  and  important  and  striking 
that  it  is  worth  our  while  to  stop  at  this  point  long 
enough  to  take  a  brief  survey  of  the  ground.  But  it 
is  of  vital  moment  to  note  that  the  changes  wrought 
are  results,  not  the  aim, — effects,  not  causes  of  the 
missionary  enterprise,  that  they  are  incidental,  not  es- 
sential to  Christian  mission  work  as  such,  as  divinely 
planned  and  Scripturally  executed.  In  order  to  clear- 
ness of  view,  purity  of  purpose  and  permanent  success, 
it  is  of  great  importance  to  distinguish  properly  both 
between  the  aim  and  the  results  and  also  between  the 
aim  and  the  methods  which  may  be  pursued  in  order 
to  accomplish  the  purpose. 

If  anyone  has  any  doubt  or  question  about  the 
results  of  foreign  missions  in  the  sphere  of  temporal 


Ch.    7.  MISSIONS    AND    CIVILIZATION.  69 

improvements  and  gains  he  should  consult  and  read 
the  classic  work  of  Dr.  James  S.  Dennis,  entitled, 
''Christian  Missions  and  Social  Progress."  In  the 
perusal  of  these  three  royal  octavo  volumes  comprising 
some  1,600  pages,  with  their  wealth  of  accredited  facts 
gathered  from  all  mission  fields  and  showing  something 
of  the  fruitage  of  Christian  missions  in  the  sphere  of 
civilization  and  culture,  touching  temperance,  social 
purity,  the  elevation  of  woman,  the  suppression  of 
polygamy,  adultery,  infanticide,  cannibalism,  the  slave 
traffic,  and  many  other  cruelties  and  crimes,  with  refer- 
ence to  the  promotion  of  commerce,  industry  and 
trade,  agriculture,  sanitation  and  cleanliness,  besides 
the  large  and  varied  blessings  in  the  way  of  healing 
the  sick,  caring  for  the  infirm  and  helpless,  abolishing 
ignorance  and  superstition,  and  promoting  the  interests 
of  general  knowledge  and  universal  peace,  —  in  the 
contemplation  of  such  an  array  of  authenticated  facts 
the  questioner  will  be  likely  to  get  a  comprehensive 
and  cumulative  impression  of  the  significance  of  the 
missionary  enterprise  from  this  point  of  view.  As 
Secretary  Brown  says :  "Volumes  might  be  filled  with 
the  testimonies  of  statesmen,  travelers,  military  and 
naval  officers,  to  the  value  of  missionary  work  from 
this  viewpoint."^ 

b.  Value  to  be  attached  to  these  results.  It 
should  be  just  and  fair.  These  results,  incidental  bene- 
fits and  indirect  fruits,  must  occupy  their  proper  place 
in  the  study  of  missions  and  must  be  estimated  at 
their  true  worth,  neither  too  high  nor  too  low.     It  is 


^Consult  Note  3   in   the   Appendix   for   further  material 
and  references. 


70  MISSION    STUDIES. 

only  a  sign  of  our  times,  that  there  is  apparently  a 
growing  disposition  unduly  to  exalt  this  whole  class 
of  missionary  facts  and  to  marshal  them  as  missionary 
motives.  "Our  humanitarian,  commercial  and  prac- 
tical age,"  writes  Secretary  Brown, ^  *'is  more  im- 
pressed by  the  physical  and  temporal,  the  actual  and 
th.e  utilitarian.  The  idea  of  saving  men  for  the  present 
world  appeals  more  strongly  than  the  idea  of  saving 
them  for  the  next  world,  and  missionary  sermons  and 
addresses  give  large  emphasis  to  these  motives."  But 
this  is  due  largely  to  the  fact  that  many  professedly 
Christian  ministers  and  churches  even  have  lost  their 
grip  upon  the  vital  and  fundamental  truths  of  the 
Gospel  and  is  done,  when  pursued  from  this  motive, 
at  the  cost  of  shifting  the  missionary  enterprise  from 
its  Scriptural  foundation  and  "cutting  the  nerve  of 
missions."  It  is  a  sad  and  ominous  fact  that  in  some 
of  the  large  and  influential  foreign  missionary  so- 
cieties there  are  leaders  who  are  leading  the  churches 
astray  along  this  line.-  When  the  vital  truth  and 
power  of  Christianity  as  the  only  saving  religion  of 
the  world  is  denied,  while  the  glaring  spiritual  insuf- 
ficiency of  the  non-Christian  religions  is  minimized 
and  their  supf>osed  or  real  partial  truths  and  virtues 
are  magnified  out  of  all  proportion  to  their  worth,  it 


^  The  Foreign  Missionary,  p.  25. 

^  A  notable  example  is  a  secretary  of  the  London  Mis- 
sionary Societv.  who,  in  an  address  in  June  of  the  present 
year  before  a  irissionary  gathering  in  London,  is  reported  to 
have  ''closed  that  audience's  eyes  to  the  supposed  lost  and 
ruined  condition  of  the  heathen  and  their  hopelessness  in  the 
life  to  come  without  a  saving  knowledge  of  Christ,  and 
opened  the  door  to  a  more  optimistic  outlook." 


Ch.    7.  INCIDENTAL    BENEFITS.  ?1 

becomes  necessary,  in  order  to  the  continuance  of  the 
missionary  propaganda,  to  appeal  to  humanitarian 
motives  instead  of  depending,  as  of  yore,  upon  the 
true  BibHcal  motives. 

Dr.  A.  C.  Thompson  correctly  says  that  "a.  dis- 
proportionate value  may  be  placed  on  the  incidental 
benefits  of  Christian  missions."^  This  is  done  when 
these  are  so  presented  and  emphasized  as  to  become, 
in  appearance  or  in  fact,  the  object  and  purpose  of  the 
missionary  enterprise  and  to  displace  or  even  supplant 
its  true  aim.  We  agree  with  Lawrence  when  he 
writes :  "Such  results  are  incidental  arguments  for 
missions,  evidences  of  their  efficiency.  .  .  .  But 
while  they  reinforce,  they  do  not  constitute,  the  mis- 
sion motive,  being  of  a  distinctively  philanthropic,  not 
missionary  character."^  While  in  no  true  sense  the 
aim  of  missions  from  the  standpoint  of  the  revealed 
Scriptures,  they  may  appeal  as  motives,  to  benevolently 
inclined  people  of  the  world,  correcting  misapprehen- 
sions, creating  sympathy  and  fostering  a  sort  of  philan- 
thropic interest  in  the  work.  It  is  just  and  proper, 
too,  that  in  such  circles  these  temporal  benefits  should 
be  pointed  out,  —  in  answer  to  objections  rather  than 
as  a  basis  for  direct  appeal. 

It  may  be  shown  that  the  work  would  be  worth 
while  from  a  philanthropic  point  of  view,  if  these 
temporal  results  were  all  the  benefits  that  have  been 
gained.  Missions  pay  even  from  this  viewpoint  of 
commercialism  and  material  interest.     Much  more  are 


^  Prostestant  Missions.     Their  Rise  and  Early  Progress, 
p.  215.     ■  Introduction  to  the   Study  of  Foreign  Missions,  p. 


72  MISSION"   STUDIES. 

they  worth  while  and  much  more  do  they  pay  from 
the  higher  ground  of  the  everlasting  Gospel  of  Christ. 

2.  The  real  aim  of  missions  is  salvation  from 
sin  and  death.  This  is  old-fashioned  doctrine  that 
seems  out  of  date  when  compared  with  the  preten- 
tious aims  and  claims  of  some  treatises  on  modern 
"Christian  socialism."  But  we  prefer  to  live  and  die 
hy  ''the  preaching  of  the  cross, "^  as  we  are  firmly  con- 
vinced that  the  missionary  enterprise  will  live  and 
thrive  upon  it,  while  it  will  perish  without  it.  The 
salvation  which  Christ  came  to  accomplish  for  man- 
kind has  reference  to  the  whole  man,  in  body  and  soul, 
in  time  and  in  eternity.  It  does  not  ignore  the  ills 
and  aches,  the  needs  and  infirmities,  to  which  man  is 
subject  in  this  world  "that  lieth  in  wickedness."  But 
neither  does  it  obscure  or  belittle  the  more  tremendous 
and  enduring  issues  that  hinge  upon  the  reality  of 
death  and  a  judgment  to  come.  These  stern  realities 
of  the  soul  and  of  eternity  are,  in  fact,  the  main  issues. 
If  these  are  rightly  attended  to,  the  other  matters  will 
not  fail  to  be  provided  for. 

a.  The  aim  —  hoiv  determined?  In  such  an  all 
important  matter  as  this  we  are  not  left  at  the  mercy 
of  the  faulty  judgment  of  man  and  the  varying  fash- 
ions and  foibles  of  passing  generations.  If  Chris- 
tianity means  anything,  the  aim  of  the  missionary  en- 
terprise must  be  determined  once  for  all  by  the  mis- 
sion and  redemptive  work  of  Christ  Himself.  True 
to  the  name  Jesus,  given  Him  by  angelic  messenger. 
He  came  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost.  The 
Scriptures  must  be  twisted  all  out  of  their  true  mean- 


^Read  and  meditate  upon  1  Cor.  1. 


Ch.    7.  THE    AIM    DETERMINED.  73 

ing  and  intent  to  make  this  and  countless  other  pas- 
sages of  like  import  refer  merely  or  mainly  to  the 
losses  and  the  burdens  and  the  oppressions  that  men 
are  suffering  in  temporal  things.  Sin,  and  the  ravages 
of  sin,  and  the  consequences  of  sin,  are  realities  which 
no  sophistry  or  philosophy  will  ever  dispose  of. 

The  mission  of  Christ  was  to  plant  and  extend 
the  kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth  —  that  kingdom 
which  is  not  of  this  world  (John  i8,  36),  which  "is 
not  meat  and  drink,  but  righteousness,  and  peace,  and 
joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  Rom.  14,  17.  In  accordance 
with  this  the  mission  of  the  Church  is  the  extension 
of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  throughout  the  earth. 

The  missionary  command  of  Christ  makes  it  plain 
what  God's  will  is  in  this  respect,  namely,  to  make 
Christ  as  the  only  Savior  and  Lord  (Acts  4,  12), 
known  to  all  the  people  of  the  world,  to  win  them,  if 
possible,  as  His  disciples,  and  make  them  heirs  to- 
gether of  the  grace  of  life,  the  spiritual  and  eternal 
life  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  This  is  the  general  aim 
of  missions,  as  presented  in  Christ's  instructions  to 
His  Church.  And  the  Acts  and  the  Epistles  of  the 
New  Testament  show  how  the  apostles  understood  the 
command  and  how  they  carried  it  out.  Any  candid 
student  of  these  books  will  be  led  to  the  conclusion 
which  Rev.  Chalmers  Martin  at  the  close  of  a  some- 
what extended  examination  of  the  sacred  text  states 
in  these  words :  "The  aim  of  the  apostles  was  the 
establishment,  in  as  many  and  as  important  centers  as 
possible,  of  self-governing,  self-supporting,  and  self- 
extending  churches."  ^ 


^Apostolic  and  Modern  Missions,  p.  37, 


?4  MISSION"   STUDIES. 

b.  The  aim  more  carefully  deiiiied  and  ex- 
plained. Much  energy  has  been  vainly  spent,  much 
unprofitable  controversy  has  been  carried  on,  much 
unwholesome  and  unfruitful  enthusiasm  has  been 
aroused  by  arguments  and  in  articles  and  addresses 
in  which  terms  and  phrases  were  vaguely  used,  with- 
out any  clear  apprehension  of  their  meaning,  or  in 
which,  at  different  times,  the  same  terms  were  used 
with  entirely  different  meanings.  It  becomes  neces- 
sary, therefore,  to  be  explicit  and  precise  in  the  use 
of  expressions  and  to  define  the  aim  of  missions  so 
carefully  that  it  cannot  be  misunderstood. 

We  will  confine  our  attention  here  to  a  single 
word  of  the  missionary  command  as  it  is  found  in 
Matt.  28,  19.  It  is  a  word  that  is  far-reaching  and 
full  of  meaning,  viz,  /xai^reuetv,  to  make  disciples. 
''Go  ye,  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  na- 
tions, baptizing  them  into  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things,"  etc.  Am.  Rev.  Version. 
According  to  this  passage  the  missionary  task  is  to 
make  disciples  of  Christ,  and  to  do  so  by  administer- 
ing Christian  baptism  under  proper  conditions  and 
continuing  the  instruction  according  to  needs  and 
opportunities.  Plainly  the  work  of  discipling  is  a 
continued  procedure  which,  under  ordinary  conditions, 
will  require  considerable  time.  It  is  not  a  work  that 
can  be  quickly  performed  by  a  single  act,  but  it  is  a 
progressive  occupation  that  implies  patient  and  long 
continued  instruction. 

A  careful  study  of  this  text  and  a  comparison  with 
parallel  passages  will,  I  am  sure,  lead  us  to  agree  with 
Dr.  Warneck  when,  as  the  result  of  a  thorough,  ex- 


Ch.    7.  THE    AIM    DEFINED.  75 

egetical  study  of  the  word,  he  states  that  ''disclpling" 
means  "to  persuade  men  to  put  themselves  under  the 
influence  of  Jesus  as  their  Teacher  and  Savior  and  to 
yield  more  and  more  to  this  influence  upon  their  faith 
and  upon  their  life,  until  they  grow  into  full  disciple- 
ship."  Again,  he  says :  "As  defining  the  missionary 
task  fxar^Ttueiv  virtually  means  to  make  Christians 
of  non-Christians.  To  Christianize  is  the  most  char- 
acteristic designation  of  the  missionary  task  of  mak- 
ing disciples."  ^ 

There  is  much  confusion  and  unclearness  among 
many  authors  of  missionary  articles  and  treatises  in 
tJie  use  of  the  zt^ords  evangelization  and  Christianiza- 
tion.  At  times  they  are  used  with. a  distinction,  as 
though  evangelization  meant  less  than  Christianiza- 
tion,  and  as  though  a  hasty  and  superficial  announce- 
ment of  the  Gospel  would  suffice  its  requirements ;  and 
again  they  are  used  interchangeably.  In  order  to  avoid 
confusion  and  unfair  judgments  and  criticisms  it  is 
of  prime  importance  in  any  discussion  that  the  terms 
used  be  clearly  defined  and  understood. 

Now,  with  reference  to  the  terms  under  consid- 
eration, it  seems  to  me  that  Biblical  usage  justifies  us 
in  regarding  and  employing  the  words  evangelize  and 
Christianize  as  practical  equivalents,  that  the  work  of 
missions  and  the  lessons  taught  by  the  history  of  mis- 
sions support  this  view,  and  that  misconceptions  and 
confusion  will  be  avoided  by  so  employing  the  words. 
The  word  evangelize  means,  according  to  its  deriva- 
tion, to  tell  good  news,  to  preach  the  Gospel.  It  is 
so  used  in  many  passages  of  the  New  Testament.  And 


Mission.slehre  III,   1,  p.  201  fif. 


76  MISSION"   STUDIES. 

when  it  is  employed  as  a  missionary  aim,  it  has  no 
other  meaning  or  intent  than  our  Savior  had  when, 
in  His  great  command,  Matt.  28,  19,  He  used  the  word 
disciphng,  or  to  make  disciples  of,  to  designate  in 
general  the  main  task,  the  aim  and  end  of  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  to  every  creature  and  unto  the  ends 
of  the  earth.  Disciples  of  Christ  are  Christians,  now 
as  of  old,  when  *'the  disciples  were  called  Christians 
first  in  Antioch.''  Acts  11,  26.  The  purpose  and  aim 
is  always  the  same,  whether  we  speak  of  preaching  the 
Gospel,  evangelizing,  making  disciples,  or  making 
Christians,  Christianizing.  The  aim  is  to  win  souls  for 
Christ,  to  gather  men  out  of  the  kingdom  of  nature 
into  the  kingdom  of  grace,  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

There  is  just  as  little  justification  for  the  use  of 
the  term  evangelization  in  a  superficial  sense,  as  though 
it  meant  a  hurried  announcement  of  the  good  tidings 
of  salvation  without  regard  to  permanent  results,  as 
there  is  for  the  use  of  the  word  Christianization,^  as 
though  it  implied  a  finished  product,  a  Christianity 
complete  and  fully  matured.  True  Christianity  is  a 
growth,  a  continued  struggle,  a  progressive  triumph 
over  sin  and  evil.  (Phil.  3,  12  fif ;  Gal.  5,  17;  2  Tim. 
4,  7,  8.)  Mission  work,  as  the  work  of  evangelization 
or  Christianization,  must  be  a  thorough,  not  a  slip- 
shod, haphazard  work.  It  must  lay  strong  founda- 
tions for  the  future  and,  from  the  outset,  have  an  eye 
to  permanence.  The  time  comes  when,  in  particular 
fields,  the  mission  work  as  such,  as  it  had  hitherto  been 
carried  on,  ceases,  while  the  work  of  Christianization 
goes  on. 


'Compare  Note  4  in  the  Appendix. 


Ch.    7.  END    OF    FOREIGN     MISSIONS.  77 

c.  The  end  of  the  zvork  of  foreign  missions.  We 
use  the  word  "end"  here  in  the  sense  both  of  the  ul- 
timate goal  and  of  the  close  of  operations.  The  end 
is  reached  when  the  mission  congregations  have  be- 
come self-supporting,  self-governing,  self-extending 
churches.  When  the  native  Christians  in  any  field, 
larger  or  smaller,  have  become  strong  enough  in  their 
corporate  capacity,  as  native  churches —  (for  myself, 
I  do  not  believe  that  the  development  of  great  "na- 
tional churches"  is  material  in  the  case) — to  carry 
on  the  work  of  the  Gospel  independently  of  the  sup- 
port and  direct  interference  of  the  home  churches,  and 
lo  do  this  safely,  maintaining  their  own  ministry  and 
themselves  sending  out  missionaries  to  fields  not  yet 
evangelized,  the  work  of  foreign  missions  in  their 
behalf  is  ended.  If  things  are  as  they  should  be,  these 
native  churches  will,  of  course,  continue  in  fraternal 
fellowship  with  the  "home  churches,"  but  will  no 
longer  be  dependent  upon  them  as  they  were  before. 

When  all  the  mission  fields  of  the  world  have 
been  thus  evangelized  and  developed  into  self-sup- 
porting Christian  churches,  the  foreign  missionary  en- 
terprise as  such  will  have  come  to  an  end,  but  there 
will  still  remain,  particularly  in  the  larger  countries, 
such  work  as  still  devolves  upon  us  in  our  Christian 
land,  and  which  we  call  home  and  inner  missions. 


Recapitulation.  In  the  four  preceding  chap- 
ters, IV  to  VII,  we  have  considered  the  character  and 
aim  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  Though  we  may 
properly  distinguish  between  home  missions,  inner 
m.issions,  and  foreign  missions,  and  for  practical  pur- 
poses and  efficient  work  we  could  not  get  along  with- 


78  MISSION    STUDIES. 

out  some  distinction,  the  enterprise  is  one  in  essential 
features  and  in  fundamental  principles.  The  personal 
element  is  a  vital  factor  in  mission  work.  Next  in  im- 
portance to  the  message  itself  is  the  personality,  the 
character,  conduct  and  career  of  the  messenger.  We 
have,  therefore,  devoted  some  time  to  the  considera- 
tion of  the  missionary,  his  character  and  qualifications, 
his  commission,  or  his  being  sent  forth  by  the  Church, 
and  his  mission,  or  the  purpose  and  aim  of  the  work. 
While  he  is  a  minister  and  servant  of  the  Church,  sent 
out  and  supported  by  the  Church,  he  is  at  the  same 
time  a  minister  of  Christ  and  an  ambassador  for  Christ, 
beseeching  men  to  be  reconciled  to  God  and  saved 
with  an  everlasting  salvation  through  the  redemption 
that  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  missionary  enterprise 
aims  at  and  ends  with  the  establishment  of  self-sup- 
porting and  self-extending  Christian  churches. 


Jk<^ 


IL     The  Ground  of   Mission  Work* 


CHAPTER  VIIL 
THE  NATURE  AND  SCOPE  OF  THIS  SECTION. 

1.  The  foundation  on  which  the  enterprise 
rests.  The  importance  of  a  foundation  is  generally 
recognized  in  all  occupations  and  undertakings.  The 
missionary  enterprise  is  no  exception.  The  material 
comprehended  in  this  section  constitutes  the  very 
heart  and  soul  of  the  whole  enterprise.  Hence  we  ac- 
cord it  more  ample  treatment.  An  attempt  is  made  to 
group  together  and  condense  in  these  chapters  food 
for  a  lifetime  study  of  missions  and  suggestions  for 
continued  investigation. 

2.  The  scope  of  the  missionary  basis.  We 
shall  consider  the  ground  of  missions  in  four  general 
groups  of  material :  a.  The  Scripture  Ground  — 
chapters  IX  to  XI :  b.  The  Dogmatical  and  Ethical 
Ground  —  chapter  XII;  c.  The  Churchly  Ground  — 
chapter  XIIl :  d.  The  Historical  Ground  —  chapter 
XIV.  This  fourfold  ground,  it  will  be  noticed,  em- 
braces divine  and  human  factors.  The  missionary  en- 
terprise is  God's  work  —  His  work  among  men,  in 
men,  and  through  men,  and  in  behalf  of  men.  The 
original  and  final  and  eternal  support  is  God  —  His 
grace  and  His  salvation.  Hence  the  Scripture  ground, 
as  embraced  in  God's  own  revelation  of  His  purposes 
and  will,  is  of  prime  importance  and  consideration. 
From  this  original  ground  is  derived  the  dogmatical 

(79) 


80  MISSION    STUDIES. 

and  ethical  ground,  having  reference  to  the  doctrines 
and  duties  drawn  from  the  Scriptures  and  arranged 
in  systematic  form,  as  also  the  churchly  and  the  his- 
torical ground,  having  particular  reference  to  God's 
reign  in  the  Church  and  in  the  affairs  of  this  world. 

3.  The  ground  in  which  the  work  is  rooted 
supplies  the  proper  motives.  What  is  a  motive? 
With  reference  to  the  missionary  enterprise  it  is  a 
reason  for  prosecuting  the  work.  The  motive  is  the 
moving  consideration,  the  power  that  impels  to  action 
and  produces  motion. 

The  missionary  motives,  as  will  appear  in  the  suc- 
ceeding discussions,  are  manifold  and  may  be  variously 
expressed.  One^  may  express  what  he  regards  as  the 
primary  motives  thus :  The  soul's  experience  in 
Christ ;  the  world's  evident  need  of  Christ ;  the  com- 
mand of  Christ.  Or  another-  puts  it  thus :  The  enter- 
prise rests  on  the  world's  needs,  the  last  command  of 
Christ,  the  expansive  nature  of  Christianity.  Still  an- 
other^ speaks  of  Godward  motives,  such  as  ''gratitude 
for  His  saving  grace,  obedience  to  His  command,  loy- 
alty to  His  purpose,  love  for  His  person,  sympathy 
with  His  plan,  zeal  for  His  glory,''  and  manward  mo- 
tives, such  as  gratitude  for  the  conversion  of  our  an- 
cestors by  missions,  compassion  in  view  of  the  condi- 
tion of  the  heathen,  etc.  The  motives  of  apostolic  mis- 
sions are  set  forth  by  a  writer*  as  consisting  in  obe- 
dience to  the  command  of  Christ,  love  to  Christ,  zeal 
for  His  honor,  for  the  extension  of  His  Church,  the 


^Brown:  The  Foreign  Missionary.  ^Speer:  Missionary 
Principles  and  Practice.  ^Lawrence :  Introduction  to  the 
Study  of  Foreign  Missions,  *Martin :  Apostolic  and  Modern 
Missions. 


Ch.    8.  MISSIONARY    MOTIVES.  81 

triumph  of  His  kingdom,  zeal  for  God,  and  compas- 
sion for  a  world  perishing  in  sin. 

Yet,  after  all,  these  motives,  variously  expressed, 
all  center  about  and  are  connected  with  one  motive, 
the  supreme  motive  expressed  by  St.  Paul  in  2  Cor. 
5,  14 :  "The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us."  This  is 
the  love  of  Christ  which  we  are  "to  know,"  and  which 
still  "passeth  knowledge,"  that  we  "might  be  filled  with 
all  the  fulness  of  God."  Eph.  3,  19.  It  is  the  infinite 
love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  shed  abroad  in  the  hearts 
of  true  believers,  and  impelling  us  to  love  Him  who 
first  loved  us  and  died  for  us  and  to  love  those  for 
whom,  together  with  ourselves,  He  shed  His  blood, 
and  who  are  just  as  needy  of  Him  as  we  are. 

Out  of  the  ground  in  which  the  whole  enterprise 
is  rooted  these  missionary  motives  grow.  It  is  ap- 
parent, therefore,  how  vitally  important  the  study  of 
this  ground  and,  we  may  say,  the  working  of  it  is  not 
only  for  the  understanding  of  the  work,  but  also  for 
our  appreciation  of  it,  our  interest  in  it,  and  our  active 
co-operation  with  our  fellow  Christians  in  carrying  it 
forward  to  the  praise  of  our  great  Redeemer's  Name. 


CHAPTER  IX* 
THE  SCRIPTURE  GROUND. 

MISSIONARY  THOUGHTS  AND  ROOTS  IN  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

I.  General  reflections  on  the  subject.  M.ay  it 
not  be  that  the  fact,  that  the  missionary  efforts  of 
many  are  fitful  and  haphazard,  is  traceable  in  part  to 
the  other  fact  that  their  knowledge  of  the  connection 
between  the  Bible  and  missions  is  fragmentary  and  im- 
perfect? There  is  an  erroneous  notion,  widely  preva- 
lent, that  must  be  overcome,  viz. :  that  live  missionary 
interest  is  a  beautiful,  but  unessential  ornament  of 
Christianity,  that  mission  work  is  not  something  es- 
sential and  obligatory,  but  accidental  and  optional  to 
the  Christian,  an  enterprise  of  superior  and  superfluous 
piety.  Nothing  will  help  to  overcome  this  erroneous 
and  pernicious  notion  like  a  thorough  and  comprehen- 
sive acquaintance  with  the  central,  vital,  integral  place 
which  missionary  thought,  enterprise  and  principle 
hold  in  the  Bible,  —  the  all-pervasive,  dominant  influ- 
ence of  the  divine  thought  and  idea  of  missions  in  the 
economy  of  divine  grace  and  in  the  revealed  Word  of 
God.  Not  only  that  the  Bible  is  full  of  missionary 
thoughts  expressly  stated  in  different  forms,  —  pro- 
phecy, symbol  and  type,  historical  narrative,  command 
and  promise,  but  that  the  missionary  thought  and  pur- 
pose is  a  vital  element  of  Christianity,  a  constituent 
part  of  God's  revelation  and  gracious  plans  and  pur- 
poses, permeating  all  Scripture,  filling  and  forming 
the  entire  economy  of  grace  and  salvation,  from  the 
eternal  purpose  of  God,  which  He  purposed  in  Christ 

(82) 


Ch.    9.  THE    OLD    TESTAMENT.  83 

Jesus  before  the  world  began,  to  the  culmination  and 
completion  of  His  counsels  in  His  second  advent,  the 
final  judgment,  and  the  kingdom  of  glory. 

2.  Character  of  the  missionary  thoughts  in 
the  Old  Testament.  Christian  chronology  and  the 
Christian  dispensation  began  historically  with  the  birth 
of  Christ  and  the  founding  of  the  Christian  Church 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  But  as  the  New  Testament 
is  founded  upon  and  is  the  fulfilment  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, so  Christianity,  with  its  universal  adaptation, 
provision  and  aim,  its  missionary  character  as  the 
world  religion  and  the  only  saving  religion  of  the 
world,  has  its  roots  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  that 
not  only  in  its  prophecies,  but  in  the  religious  con- 
sciousness, life  and  leading  of  Israel.  Judaism,  as  his- 
torically developed,  was  not  a  missionary  religion.  But 
this  development  was  not  in  full  accord  with  the  reve- 
lation of  the  Old  Testament,  nor  was  it  a  true  expres- 
sion and  interpretation  of  what  we  may  call  the  mis- 
sionary spirit  which  continued  to  throb  in  the  hearts 
of  the  true  believers,  the  saints  of  the  Old  Testament 
dispensation,  the  remnant  of  Israel. 

V'  The  missionary  thoughts  and  words  of  the  Old 
Testament  are  of  a  general,  preparatory  character. 
They  contain  germs,  seeds,  roots  and  promises  of  the 
missionary  enterprise  rather  than  clearly  expressed 
plans  and  purposes  and  developed  fruits.  The  seeds 
and  roots  sprout  and  bear  fruit  in  "the  fulness  of 
time." 

3.  Some  leading  and  t5^ical  Old  Testament 
missionary  thoughts.  We  make  no  pretension  to 
full  and  exhaustive  treatment  of  the  subject.  The 
limitations  of  this  little  treatise  bid  us  to  confine  our 


84  MISSION   STUDIES. 

attention  to  leading  lines  and  the  more  obvious  refer- 
ences.^ 

(i).  The  universal  covenant  of  God  with  man- 
kind.    Gen.  I,  I. 

Tracing  the  thought  of  Christian  missions  back 
to  its  origin  in  the  heart  of  God,  we  may  ask,  where, 
in  His  revelation  to  man,  do  we  find  the  first  distinct 
expression  of  the  thought?  While  it  is  true,  as  Smith 
says,^  that  "the  historical  development  of  Christian 
missions  begins  with  Abraham  as  a  preparation,"  we 
must  go  much  further  back,  beyond  Abraham,  back  to 
the  first  verse  of  Genesis. 

The  missionary  idea,  the  fundamental  missionary 
thought,  has  its  origin  in  God,  and  is  ascribed  to  God, 
not  merely  nor  first  as  Redeemer  of  the  fallen  race, 
but  as  the  Creator  of  heaven  and  earth.  The  mis- 
sionary idea  is  an  integral  part  of  the  divine  thought 
of  creation,  which  includes  not  merely  existence,  be- 
ing, but  the  blessedness  of  the  world  —  as  Dr.  Duff 
has  said  truly:  God's  "purpose  from  all  eternity  was 
to  create  the  universe,  visible  and  invisible,  for  the 
manifestation  of  the  divine  glory."  —  Read  Eph.  3, 
1-9,  cf,  2,  19.  The  salvation  of  the  Gentiles  a  mystery 
—  hidden  in  God  from  the  beginning  of  the  world 
("from  all  ages,"  R.  V.)  — who  created  all  things  by 
Jesus  Christ,  but  revealed  in  time ;  verses  3-5. 

The  God  of  Israel  who  reveals  Himself  and  has 
His  work  first  of  all  among  His  chosen  people  and  for 
the  time  being  confines  His   revelation  and  work  to 


'For  purposes  of  further  research  the  student  will  do 
well  to  consult,  in  the  study  of  this  entire  section,  the  ex- 
haustive work  of  Dr.  Warneck,  Missionslehre,  vol.  1.  'Short 
History  of  Christian  Missions,  George  Smith. 


Ch.    9.  BROTHERHOOD    OF    MANKIND.  85 

Israel  and  the  Holy  Land,  is  not  a  mere  national  God 
df  Israel.  He  is  the  almighty  Maker  of  heaven  and 
earth  before  He  makes  a  particular  covenant  with 
Israel.  In  the  act  of  creation  God  reveals  Himself  in 
His  relation  to  all  creation,  not  merely  a  part  of  it; 
to  all  minkind,  not  to  one  nation  only,  nor  to  one  be- 
fore another.  The  Lord  Jehovah  here  virtually  makes 
in  fact  and  by  act,  a  covenant  zvith  mankind,  and  one 
that  is  not  annulled  by  the  particular  covenant  with 
Israel,  made  later. 

As  Creator  of  all  He  is  Lord  of  all.  (Acts  17,  24. 
—  Paul  at  Athens :  "God  that  made  the  world  and  all 
things  therein,  seeing  that  He  is  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth,  dwelleth  not  in  temples  made  with  hands.")  — 
In  the  history  of  Israel  He  reveals  Himself  as  the 
King  and  Judge  of  the  nations,  the  supreme  Sov- 
ereign, using  kings  and  nations  as  His  agents  or 
scourges,  according  to  His  will.  He  is  Lord,  mighty, 
to  he  feared;  majestic  and  glorious,  to  be  honored  and 
zi'orshiped.  As  this  idea  is  unfolded  and  its  implica- 
tions become  clearer,  it  naturally  leads  to  the  further 
thought :  The  whole  earth  is  to  become  His  domain  ; 
all  nations  and  all  men  are  to  become  His  subjects. 

(2)  The  brotherhood  of  mankind.  Gen.  i,  26- 
28.  Of  one  blood.  Man  and  woman:  Adam  (of  the 
ground),  and  Eve  (mother  of  all  the  living),  the  pro- 
genitors of  the  human  race.  Man's  superiority  over 
other  creatures  and  equality  of  the  members  of  the 
race.  —  Made  in  the  image  of  God,  having  dominion 
over  the  earth  and  all  the  lower  creatures.  But  not 
one  race  over  another. 

Of  one  blood.  Cf.  Acts  17,  26.  The  heathen  lost 
this  knozdedge  and  consciousness  of  the  oneness,  the 


86  MISSION    STUDIES. 

common  origin  of  the  human  race.^  In  the  view  of 
the  heathen  the  diversity  of  peoples  and  castes  is  orig- 
inal and  normal,  and  universal  brotherhood  is  to  them  a 
chimera  and  to  a  degree  an  abomination,  while  autoch- 
thony  (nativism,  origin  from  the  soil  of  a  country)  is 
the  highest  pride  of  a  people.  Not  so  Israel,  however 
exclusive  it  became,  and  however  proudly  it  looked 
down  upon  non-Israelites.  Mosaisni,  in  its  list  of  na- 
tions (Gen.  to),  preserves  the  consciousness  of  the 
blood  relationship  of  all  nations,  which  are  again  to  be 
united  in  time  to  come  by  one  blessing  of  God.  «The 
register  of  nations  was  intended  to  keep  in  memory 
the  original  brotherhood  of  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.- 

Here  again  we  have  a  pregnant  thought,  germs 
of  missionary  thought  and  activity,  a  bridge  to  span 
the  chasm  that  in  the  course  of  time  arose  between 
Israel  and  the  Gentiles.  Blood  relationship  among 
races  and  nations  implies  a  common  relationship  with 
God,  hence  community  of  interests,  even  to  religious 
fellowship  and  communion. 

(3)  The  iirst  evangel  message,  the  -rpwrov  sday- 
yiXiov^    as  it  has  been  called.     Gen.  3,  15. 

Here  we  have  a  general  promise  of  redemption 
for  mankind.  It  presupposes  the  universality  of  sin. 
All  men  are  in  need  of  salvation,  and  salvation  is  to 
be  provided  for  all. 

Then  ensued,  in  the  history  of  the  human  race, 
increasing   wickedness,   the    divine   judgment   of    the 


^When  St.  Paul  thus  preached  on  the  Areopagus,  "he 
attacked  the  very  heart  of  heathenism  and  Athenian  pride." 
Ochler,  Old  Testament  Theology.  Compare  also  Speer,  Mis- 
sionary Principles  and  Practice,  p.  278  ff.  ^Old  Testament 
Theology,  Oehler,  p.  57, 


Ch.    9.  COVENANT    OF    GRACE.  87 

flood,  separation  from  God,  dispersion  of  the  human 
family,  the  rise  and  spread  of  heathenism. 

(4)  The  call  of  Abraham  and  the  covenant- 
promise  given  him.  Gen.  12,  1-3;  18,  18;  22,  18,  etc., 
cf.  Acts  3,  25  (Peter  in  Solomon's  porch)  ;  Gal.  3, 
8-29  (The  Gospel  for  the  heathen). 

Abraham  is  the  first  specific  missionary,  the  first 
man  whom  God  sent  forth  as  a  missionary,  upon  a 
distinct  mission  of  salvation  for  Jews  and  for  Gentiles. 
The  blessing  bestowed  upon  Abraham  and  through 
him  may  be  referred  to  as  an  example  for  the  encour- 
agement of  missionaries.  Is.  51,  2:  "Look  unto  Abra- 
ham your  father  and  unto  Sarah  that  bore  you ;  for 
when  he  was  but  one  I  called  him,  and  I  blessed  him, 
and  made  him  many."  R.  V.  It  was  with  this  refer- 
ence to  Abraham  that  Carey  used  to  comfort  and  en- 
courage himself  before  he  had  won  a  convert. 

'Tn  thy  seed"  —  "all  nations  blessed"  —  This 
''germinal  promise/'  at  the  very  taproot  of  the  He- 
brew nation,  involves  the  missionary  idea,  for  it  in- 
dicates (i)  the  divine  aim  and  purpose  of  the  special 
covenant,  and  (2)  implies  the  mission  of  Israel,  to  be 
the  bearer  and  herald  of  salvation  to  the  nations.  'The 
fulfilling  of  that  covenant,  apparently  now  slow,  now 
by  leaps,  but  always  according  to  what  has  been  called 
God's  leisure  and  God's  haste,  is  the  history  of  mis- 
sions." ^ 

This  covenant  with  Abraham,  reaffirmed  and  re- 
peated to  Isaac  and  Jacob,  was  a  covenant  of  grace, 
requiring  faith,  and  not  annulled  by  the  law  which 
was  afterwards  revealed.  Compare  the  forceful  ar- 
gument of  St.  Paul  in  Romans  and  Galatians. 


^Smith,    Short   History   of   Christian   Missions. 


88  MISSION    STUDIES. 

After  Israel  had  been  chosen  to  be  God's  peculiar 
people,  a  people  for  His  own  possession,  there  ensued 
a  period  of  pronounced  and  accentuated  particularism 
— •  the  universal  idea  and  intent  of  salvation  receding, 
and  necessarily  so.  This  period,  like  the  law,  served  as 
a  Tcacdayujyo^,  a  school  master,  (Gal.  3,  24),  to  teach 
and  train  the  people,  so  that  God's  plans  might  not  be 
frustrated,  but  His  will  accomplished.  The  people  of 
God  had  to  be  separated  from  the  heathen,  and  kept 
separate,  in  order  to  be  trained  and  kept  as  God's  peo- 
ple, in  order  to  preserve  His  statutes,  in  order  to  the 
accomplishment  of  His  gracious  purposes  with  refer- 
ence to  mankind.  Yet  even  during  this  period,  the 
theocratic  exclusiveness  zvas  not  absolutely  exclusive. 
Consider  the  humane  and  liberal  regulations  with  ref- 
erence to  the  treatment  and  rights  and  privileges  of 
slaves  and  strangers  (circumcised,  honoring  Jehovah, 
etc.),  in  contrast  with  the  practice  of  the  heathen. 

(5)      The  period  of  prophecy. 

The  vision  clarified,  and  the  view  broadening 
again,  brought  about  in  connection  with  religious  re- 
vival and  moral  reforms  in  Israel,  together  with 
events  (visitations,  defeats,  judgments)  of  national 
scope  and  world-wide  importance.  Here,  as  ever  in 
the  history  of  missions,  we  find  missionary  activity 
and  enterprise  growing  out  of  a  revival  of  spiritual 
life,  and  contingent  upon  movements  and  events  of 
critical  and  epochal  importance  in  the  world's  history. 

a.  Israel  spiritually  degenerate  and  in  need  of 
reform.  The  prophets  (i)  preach  repentance  and 
return  to  Jehovah ;  to  be  circumcised  in  heart,  to  serve 
the  Lord  truly,  etc. ;  i  Sam.  15,  22  (to  obey  better  than 
sacrifice)  ;  Hosea  6,  6  (I  desired  mercy  and  not  sac- 


Ch.    9.  MISSIONARY  PROPHECIES.  89 

rifice)  ;  Is.  I,  II  ff  (Bring  no  more  vain  oblations — 
incense  is  an  abomination  unto  me,  etc.)  ;  Jer.  4,  4 
(circumcise  yourselves  to  the  Lord,  etc.)  ;  and  (2) 
point  out  the  necessity  of  a  new  order  of  salvation 
over  and  above  the  law,  of  divine  provision  and  re- 
sources to  supply  the  need  and  come  to  the  rescue  of 
the  prostrate  and  helpless  people,  of  God's  grace  unto 
forgiveness  of  sin  and  spiritual  renewal.  Consider,  e. 
g.  the  following  passages: 

Jer.  31,  31-34.  At  the  very  time  when  the  old 
form  of  the  theocracy  was  overthrown  (fall  of  Jeru- 
salem in  586  B.  C.)  is  predicted  the  new  eternal  cov- 
enant which  God  would  make  with  His  people.  Cf. 
Jer.  23,  5-6.  The  Lord  our  Righteousness  will  estab- 
lish the  new  covenant  of  inward  life.  Ezek.  36,  25  ff 
(I  will  put  my  spirit  within  you,  etc.).  Zech.  13,  i  ff 
(In  that  day  there  shall  be  a  fountain  opened  to  the 
house  of  David).  Cf.  John  i,  29;  i  Cor.  6,  11,  etc.  In 
this  chapter  occur  the  words :  "Smite  the  Shepherd, 
and  the  sheep  shall  be  scattered." 

Thus  is  formed  and  gathered  a  regenerated  con- 
gregation, a  holy  seed,  ''the  remnant  of  Israel,"  which 
recognizes  its  mission  to  be  "a  light  unto  the  Gentiles." 
(Is.  42,  6.  7;  49,  6.) 

These  reforms  in  Israel  are  aided  by  divine  judg- 
ments, which  (i)  show  the  God  of  Israel  to  be  the 
Lord  of  the  whole  earth,  who  has  authority  and  power 
over  all  nations,  even  using  them  as  His  executioners 
and  scourges,  and  (2)  bring  Israel  into  touch  with  the 
heathen  nations,  and  under  the  tuition  and  instruc- 
tions of  the  prophets  the  devout  and  believing  among 
the  covenant  people  learn  in  some  degree  to  under- 


90 


MISSION    STUDIES. 


Stand  that  they  as  "the  servant  of  Jehovah"  have  a 
mission  to  these  nations. 

b.  Two  lines  of  thought  are  brought  out  in  many 
passages. 

(i)  The  powder  and  majesty  of  Jehovah  in  His 
relation  to  the  nations.  Innumerable  passages  in  the 
psalms  and  in  the  prophets.  The  psalms  are  hymns  of 
praise  connected  with  the  worship  of  the  adorable 
majesty  of  the  great  God.  The  praises  of  Israel  alone 
are  not  sufficient.  The  Lord  Jehovah  deserves  to  be 
the  object  of  universal  reverence  and  homage.  Hence 
all  nations,  all  creatures,  earth  and  heaven  are  called 
upon  and  invited  to  join  in  the  universal  acclaim  of 
praise  to  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Ps.  47;  66;  96;  97;  100; 
117;  Is.  42,  8.  12. 

Note  the  invitations  and  exhortations  to  tell 
among  the  heathen  what  the  Lord  has  done  for  Israel. 
Ps.  9,  11;  96,  3.  10 — (Declare  His  glory  among  the 
heathen,  His  wonders  among  all  people.  Say  among 
the  heathen  that  the  Lord  reigneth.)  ;  105,  i.  These 
are  distinct  missionary  thoughts  and  bear  evidence  of 
a  missionary  spirit.  For  the  underlying  idea  is :  What 
God  does  for  Israel  is  of  concern  to  the  heathen,  etc. 
The  psalms  express  the  confident  expectation  that  all 
mankind  will  at  length  acknowledge  Jehovah  to  be  the 
true  God.     Ps.  22,  27.  28. 

(2)  The  kingdom  of  Israel  is  the  beginning  and 
center  of  a  future  kingdom  of  Jehovah  into  which  the 
nations  shall  be  gathered. 

Is.  2,  2-4  and  Micah  4,  1-4.  In  the  description  of 
the  latter  days  here  given  we  are  placed  upon  the 
heights  of  prophetic  vision.  All  nations  are  going  to 
Zion,  which  is  spiritually  elevated  above  all  the  moun- 


Ch.    9.  MISSIONARY    PROMISES.  91 

tains  of  the  world,  to  receive  there  the  divine  law  as 
the  rule  of  their  lives,  while  universal  peace  prevails 
under  the  rule  of  Jehovah. 

Is.  25,  6-7;  Jer.  3,  17;  Hab.  2,  14.  ("For  the 
earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  glory 
of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea")  ;  Haggai  2, 
7-9  ("The  desire  of  all  nations  shall  come."  A  V.^ 
"The  desirable  things  of  all  nations  shall  come."  R  V. 
— Margin  :  The  things  desired — Hebrew  :  desire — 
of  all  nations  shall  come.);  Zech.  2,  1 1  ;  Mai.  i,  11 
("For  from  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  unto  the  going 
do\vn  of  the  same,  my  name  shall  be  great  among  the 
Gentiles ;  and  in  every  place  incense  shall  be  offered 
unto  my  name,  and  a  pure  offering,"  etc.).  Compare 
Psalms  22,  2J.  28;  47,  7-9;  68,  31.  32;  ']2,  10.  11 ;  86, 
9  ;  96 ;  etc. 

These  Dr.  Warneck  calls  vital  roots  of  mission- 
ary thoughts.  They  are  missionary  prophecies  and 
promises ;  they  afford  the  assured  prospect  of  mission- 
ary enterprise  and  world-wide  extension  at  some  time 
and  in  some  way. 

The  realization  of  these  hopes  with  reference  to 
Jehovah's  kingdom  is  indicated  in  many  passages. 

(i)  Heathen  coming  of  their  ow'n  accord  to 
Israel;  Is.  2,  3 ;  11,  10;  Jer.  16,  19;  etc. 

(2)  References  to  preaching  among  the  heathen; 
Psalms  9,  II ;  18,  49;  57,  9;  96,  3.  10;  Is.  12,  4. 

c.  The  servant  of  Jehovah.  Is.  40-66.  This  has 
been  called  "the  Gospel  before  the  Gospel."  Isaiah  is 
the  "evangelist"  among  the  prophets. 


^Compare   Luther's    translation:     'Then    shall    come   the 
consolation  of  all  the  heathen."      (Aller  Heiden  Trost) 


92  MISSION    STUDIES. 

In  the  historical  sense  of  the  prophecy  the  servant 
of  Jehovah  who  is  to  be  His  witness  among  the  na- 
tions is  the  Old  Testament  covenant  people  of  God. 
Is.  41,  8,  (thou  Israel  art  my  servant,  the  seed  of  Ab- 
raham). Is.  43,  I  ;  44,  1-2;  cf.  Jer.  30,  10;  in  particular 
the  true  Israel,  the  remnant,  the  Church  invisible  of 
the  Old  Testament  dispensation;  Is.  65,  8-9;  cf.  Jer. 
23,  3 ;  Micah.  2,  12. 

This  revmant,  trained  and  preserved,  is  to  trans- 
mit the  revelation  of  the  true  God  to  mankind,  to  be 
"the  light  of  the  Gentiles;"  Is.  49,  6;  cf.  Acts  13,  46. 
47.  Paul  and  Barnabas  find  in  these  words  of  proph- 
ecy their  justification  for  turning  to  the  Gentiles. 
They  even  regard  the  prediction  as  equivalent  in 
meaning  to  a  divine  command  to  preach  the  Gospel 
to  the  Gentiles :  "For  so  hath  the  Lord  commanded  us, 
saying,"  etc. 

But  this  remnant  culminates  at  last  in  the  per- 
son of  the  Messiah,  and  in  Him  and  through  Him  this 
prophecy  finds  its  ultimate  and  complete  fulfillment. 
Is.  49,  6,  compared  with  Luke  2,  32.  "A  light  to  lighten 
the  Gentiles."  Is.  42,  1-4.  6.  7,  compared  with  Matt. 
12,  17-21. 

Is.  42,  I  :  ''He  shall  bring  forth  judgment  to  the 
Gentiles." — Mischpot —  x/>  cV  t  v — judicium.^ 

See  also  Is.  45,  22.  23  (Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye 
saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth)  ;  52,  15  (So  shall  He 
sprinkle  many  nations)  ;  53,  12 ;  54,  2 ;  55,  4.  5  (I  have 
given  Him  for  a  witness  to  the  people)  ;  56,  7  (mine 


^Luther  translates:  Er  "soil  das  Recht  unter  die  Heiden 
bringen,"  to  this  he  makes  the  comment :  "Wie  man  vor  Gott 
muss  gerecht  und  selig  werden."  The  Weimar  Bible  com- 
ments:   unter  die  Heiden  ''durch  die  Predigt  des  Evangelii." 


Ch.   9.  PROVIDENTIAL    GUIDANCE.  93 

house  shall  be  called  an  house  of  prayer  for  all  peo- 
ple) ;  60,  I.  3.  II  (the  Gentiles  shall  come  to  thy 
light)  ;  66,  19  (they  shall  declare  my  glory  among  the 
Gentiles). 

(6)  Jonah,  an  Old  Testament  missionary. 

The  missionary  thought  came  to  full  blossom  in 
the  old  dispensation  and  once,  at  least,  to  actual  fruit- 
age in  the  reluctant  and  hesitating  missionary  to  Nin- 
eveh. While  Jonah  was,  personally,  an  instance  of 
the  proud  particularism  of  the  Jews,  which  reached 
its  height  in  the  Pharisaic  sect  of  Christ's  time,  Je- 
hovah reveals  His  mercy  and  longsuffering  with  ref- 
erence to  the  heathen,  too ;  and  the  evident  purpose  of 
the  book  is  "to  announce  against  Jewish  prejudice 
that  God's  grace  is  over  all  nations."  "God's  mercy 
is  over  all  His  works.  He  has  chosen  Israel  for  a 
time,  but  to  be  the  messenger  of  peace  to  all  men."  ^ 

(7)  Providential  leadings  and  events  as  pre- 
paratory steps  for  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 

The  missionary  idea  in  the  Old  Testament  re- 
mained, on  the  whole,  theoretical  and  limited,  and  was 
after  all  comparatively  vague  and  indefinite.  Judaism 
in  the  time  of  Christ  had  degenerated  into  a  form  of 
narrow,  national  particularism.  The  Messianic  pro- 
phecies, intended  to  serve  as  a  bridge  for  Israel  to  the 
Gentile  world,  were  distorted  and  deflected  into  new 
barriers  between  Israel  and  the  Gentiles.  The  process 
of  nationalizing  the  Messianic  hope  and  ceremonial- 
izing  the  law  fed  the  Jewish  pride  as  being  the  elect 
people  of  the  earth  and  made  them  recreant  to  their 
divine  mission.    And  yet,  in  spite  of  this  blindness  and 


'Bible  Literature.    John  A.  W.  Haas,  D.  D. 


94  MISSION   STUDIES. 

unfaithfulness  of  Israel  as  a  nation,  God's  purpose  of 
grace  was  accomplished,  and  in  the  old  dispensation 
the  foundation  was  laid  for  world-wide  missionary  en- 
terprise in  the  new  dispensation.  All  the  missionary 
thouo^hts  and  words  we  have  considered  were  pre- 
paratory steps  and  stages  in  the  development  of  the 
divine  plan  and  the  execution  of  the  divine  work  of 
missions. 

To  these  preparatory  steps  belong  also  the  provi- 
dential leadings  of  Israel,  the  calamities  which  came 
upon  the  unfaithful  nation,  occurrences  amid  which 
the  Jews  were  led  to  perform,  in  part,  their  mission 
to  the  nations.     Consider  e.  g.,  the  following: 

a.  The  dispersions.  The  growth  of  the  expecta- 
tion that  all  nations  should  some  day  know  the  one 
true  God  advanced  most  rapidly  just  when  those  who 
were  able  to  make  Him  known  were  being  scattered 
most  widely  among  the  nations. 

It  is  estimated  that  350,000  Hebrews,  first  and 
last,  had  been  carried  captive  to  the  Euphrates  and  be- 
yond. Fewer  than  50,000  returned.  By  the  beginning 
of  our  era  these  had  increased  to  millions. 

In  the  time  of  Philo  about  a  million  Jews  dwelt 
in  Egypt  —  about  one-eighth  of  the  whole  population 
—  and  the  influence  of  Alexandrian  Judaism  upon  the 
cultured  Greeks  and  Romans  was  particularly  great. 

Jews  were  carried  by  captivity  and  by  commerce 
throughout  the  Roman  world  and  even  into  India  and 
China. 

The  missionary  trend  and  tendency  of  all  this  is 
evident.  The  people,  under  castigation,  became  peni- 
tent and  bethought  themselves  of  the  blessings  which 
they  had  possessed,  but  had  neglected.     In  exile  they 


Ch.    9.  PROVIDENTIAL    EVENTS.  95 

were  more  thoughtful  and  more  faithful  than  they  had 
been  in  time  of  prosperity.  They  bore  witness  of  Je- 
hovah, the  true  and  living  God,  and  continued  to  wor- 
ship Him  in  the  strange  lands  whither  they  had  been 
carried.  This  witness  and  worship  were  not  without 
eflfect  upon  the  surrounding  heathen.  Thus  real  and 
telling  missionary  work  was  performed. 

h.  The  Septuagint.  This  Greek  translation  of 
the  Old  Testament,  prepared  during  the  period  be- 
tween 280  and  150  B.  C.,  served  an  important  mis- 
sionary purpose  in  providing  the  Word  of  God  not 
only  for  the  Jews  of  the  dispersion  who  were  more 
and  more  forgetting  their  mother  tongue  and  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Old  Testament  (a  service  akin  to  home 
mission  work),  but  also  for  heathen  who  came  in  con- 
tact with  them  in  their  places  of  worship  and  there 
heard  the  Word  of  life  in  their  own  language. 

This  version  of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  was  the 
most  important  missionary  work  of  the  Hebrew  race 
before  the  advent  of  Christ.  Such  work  of  Bible  trans- 
lation is  a  large  and  important  factor  in  the  pioneer 
work  of  Christian  missions.  It  was  the  chief  service 
and  achievement  of  Carey  and  Judson,  of  Morrison 
and  Henry  Martyn. 

c.     The  synagogues. 

Besides  the  synagogues,  where  the  Old  Testament 
was  read  and  expounded,  there  were  regular  places  of 
meeting  for  worship  under  the  open  sky,  just  as  the 
Greek  theaters  were  built  without  roofs.  There  was 
such  a  place  of  prayer  at  Philippi. 

These  synagogues  throughout  the  empire  made 
monotheism  visible,  as  it  were,  to  every  passerby.  They 
set   before   the  heathen  the   possibility   of  a   religion 


96  MISSION   STUDIES. 

without  idolatry.  They  were  as  lights  amid  the  dark- 
ness of  heathenism.  Later  many  of  them  served  as 
places  where  Christ  was  preached. 

All  this  may  be  regarded  as  indirect  and  prepara- 
tory missionary  work  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  the 
old  covenant. 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  SCRIPTURE  GROUND.     (Continued.) 

MISSIONARY  THOUGHTS  AND  FRUITS  IN  THE  NEW 
TESTAMENT. 

Scope  of  the  present  treatise.  We  cannot  under- 
take, within  the  scope  of  this  short  treatise,  to  in- 
clude all  the  books  of  the  New  Testament.  The  epistles 
are  full  of  missionary  thoughts  and  will  amply  repay 
careful  study  with  these  in  view.  Most  of  the  epistles 
are  letters  written  by  missionaries  to  congregations 
that  were  planted  and  nurtured  by  missionary  effort. 
We  would,  therefore,  expect  to  find  in  them  many 
points  of  interest  and  value  with  reference  to  the  prin- 
ciples and  practice,  the  character  and  conduct,  of  mis- 
sions. And  such  is  the  case.  But  our  present  studies 
are  only  representative  and  suggestive.  They  are  con- 
fined to  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  and  to  the  Gospels, 
and  in  these,  in  particular,  to  words  spoken  by  Christ 
Himself. 

Missionary  Thoughts  in  the  Words  of  Christ. 

As  Christ  is  the  foundation  and  head  of  the 
Church,  so  He  is  the  central  figure  and  the  centraliz- 
ing force  of  Christian  missions.  As  He  is  the  fulfill- 
ment of  Old  Testament  types  and  prophecies,  so  the 
missionary  thoughts  of  the  Old  Testament  are  de- 
veloped in  and  through  Him  and  find  clearer  and  fuller 
expression  in  His  words.  Contrasting  the  missionary 
thoughts  of  the  new  dispensation  with  those  of  the 
old,  we  may  affirm  in  a  general  way  that,  while  in  the 
Old  Testament  we  find  missionary  roots,  evangelical 

(97) 


98  MISSION    STUDIES. 

principles  and  evangelistic  forces  wrapped  up,  as  it 
were,  in  the  seed,  —  in  the  New  Testament  we  find 
the  missionary  plant  developed,  bearing  foliage  and 
fruit.  In  the  Old  Testament  the  foundation  is  laid  for 
world-wide  missions ;  in  the  New  the  superstructure  is 
erected,  and  the  work  is  actually  begun.  In  the  Old 
the  universality  of  salvation  is  expressed  in  prophecy, 
held  out  as  a  glorious  hope  to  be  realized  in  due  time ; 
in  the  New  this  universality  begins  to  be  fulfilled  and 
carried  into  effect,  fully  realized  in  the  apostolic  mis- 
sion and  directed  for  all  future  ages  to  the  end  of 
time  by  the  Great  Commission  of  our  Lord  to  His 
Church. 

In  the  fulness  of  time  Christ  appears,  the  Great 
Missionary,  sent  from  the  realms  of  glory,  working 
out  the  world's  redemption  and  training  a  band  of 
efficient  missionaries  to  go  forth  and  inaugurate  the 
era  of  world-wide  missions.  His  words  and  teach- 
ings from  the  beginning  and  throughout  His  ministry, 
are  permeated  with  missionary  thoughts.  Without  be- 
ing able  or  attempting  to  arrange  and  classify  His  mis- 
sionary sayings  and  declarations  in  strictly  chronolog- 
ical order,  we  can  observe  a  gradual  development  in 
clearness  and  fulness,  culminating  in  the  direct  and 
explicit  missionary  command  after  His  resurrection. 
In  this  appears  the  wisdom  and  tact  of  the  Great 
Teacher,  in  view  of  the  national  exclusiveness  and 
particularism   of   the  Jewish    people,^   and    the   deep- 


^  Cf.,  e.  g.,  Acts  22,  21.  22.  Paul  addressing  the  people  in 
Jerusalem,  telling  the  story  of  his  life  and  experiences,  his 
conversion  and  call  to  the  apostleship.  "And  He  said  unto 
me,  Depart;  for  I  will  send  thee  far  hence  unto  the  Gentiles. 
And  tlicy  gave  him  audience  unto  this  word,  and  then  lifted 


Ch.    lO.  THE    KINGDOM    OF  GOD.  99 

seated  prejudices  of  His  own  disciples,  who  had  grown 
up  in  this  atmosphere  of  Jewish  narrow-mindedness. 
Moreover,  the  missionary  command  follows  at  the  end 
of  His  earthly  career  as  the  natural  and  necessary  se- 
quence of  His  atonement  and  work  of  redemption  — 
the  ripened  fruitage  of  the  revelation  concerning  His 
person  and  His  work. 

We  may  distinguish  three  stages  in  the  dcMclop- 
ment  and  progress  of  our  Savior's  missionary  instruc- 
tion, and  so  study  His  missionary  words  in  three 
groups. 

I.  General  principles,  preliminary  and  funda- 
mental. 

This  part  of  Christ's  teaching  may  be  regarded 
as  the  New  Testament  foundation  of  all  missionary 
instruction  and  work.  The  universality  of  salvation, 
proclaimed  in  symbol,  and  type,  and  prophecy,  in  the 
Old  Testament,  is  clearly  and  fully  set  forth  in  the 
appearance  of  the  world's  Redeemer  and  the  kingdom 
which  He  established.  These  fundamental  missionary 
principles  are  wrapped  up  in  two  significant  and  com- 
prehensive terms :  a.  the  kingdom  of  God ;  b.  the  Son 
of  Man. 

a.  The  kingdom  of  God,  or  the  kingdom  of 
heaven-.  We  find  the  term  used  in  Scripture  in  dif- 
ferent senses,  viewed  from  different  points  of  view ; 
now  as  present,  existing  in  the  hearts  of  believers,  es- 
tablished at  Christ's  first  advent;  and  again  as  future, 
to  be  established  at  His  second  advent.  These  declara- 
tions may  be  understood  and  readily  harmonized  with- 
out   resorting    to    millenarianism.     The    kingdom    of 


up  their  voices  and  said,  Away  with  such  a  fellow  from  the 
earth,  for  it  is  not  fit  that  he  should  live." 


100  MISSION   STUDIES. 

Christ  has  been  founded,  but  is  not  yet  completed.  It 
is  sown  now  as  seed ;  the  complete  fruit  and  final  har- 
vest lie  in  the  future.  Hence  we  note  a  development, 
a  growth,  in  the  use  and  application  of  the  term.  There 
is  in  a  very  real  and  true  sense  a  ''coming"  of  the  king- 
dom. "Thy  kingdom  come!"  (To  us  and  to  all  men; 
through  the  Word  and  sacraments ;  edification  and  ex- 
tension ;  faith  wrought,  strengthened,  sustained ;  be- 
lievers won,  gathered,  kept,  etc.)  In  its  final  com- 
pletion and  culmination  it  is  the  absolute  sovereignty 
and  dominion  of  God  over  all  creatures  in  majesty  and 
glory.  —  Note  several  facts  zvith  reference  to  the  king- 
dom. 

(i)  Its  essential  character.  Not  earthly  and 
temporal,  but  spiritual  and  eternal.  John  i8,  56  (not 
of  this  world)  ;  Luke  17,  20-21  (the  kingdom  of  God 
Cometh  not  with  observation ;  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  within  you.)  Cf.  Is.  9,  6.  7  (the  Messiah  is  called 
the  Prince  of  peace,  of  the  increase  of  His  govern- 
ment and  peace  there  shall  be  no  end.)  The  king- 
dom of  God  or  the  kingdom  of  Christ  is  not  the  king- 
dom of  Daznd  as  the  Jews  understood  it.  Mark  11,  10 
(Blessed  be  the  kingdom  of  our  Father  David)  ;  Acts 
I,  6  (wilt  Thou  restore  again  the  kingdom  to  Israel?)  ; 
John  6,  15  (the  Jews  attempting  to  take  Him  by 
force  to  make  Him  a  King.) 

(2)  Its  scope.  It  embraces  and  includes  not  the 
Jews  only,  but  all  mankind.  The  Jews,  indeed,  are 
termed  ''children  of  the  kingdom."  They  were  called 
first,  but  not  exclusively,  nor  unconditionally.  Matt. 
8,  12.  (The  children  of  the  kingdom  shall  be  cast 
out  into  outer  darkness.)  Matt.  21,  43.  (The  king- 
dom of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you.)  — ''Salvation 


Ch.    lO.  TO   ALL    MANKIND.  101 

is  of  (ix)  the  Jews,"  John  4,  22,  begins  with  them, 
issues  forth  from  them,  inasmuch  as  Christ  was  born 
of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  but  not  limited  to  them.  Com- 
pare the  parable  of  the  Marriage  of  the  King's  Son, 
Matt.  22,  3  ff.,  and  the  parable  of  the  Great  Supper, 
Luke  14,  16  ff. 

Now,  what  does  Christ  say  of  Himself  as  the 
Founder  of  the  kingdom,  of  His  calling  and  sphere, 
His  mission  f  He  speaks  of  His  having  come  "into 
the  zvorld:'  While  this  may  mean,  and  in  most  of 
the  passages  where  it  is  used  does  mean,  simply  that 
He  was  born  on  earth,  that  He  became  man,  it  implies 
also  that  He  came  into  the  world  to  be  the  world's 
Redeemer,  it  suggests  the  sphere  of  His  activity  and 
the  object  of  His  redemption.  (Cf.  particularly  John 
3,  16.  17:  God  so  loved  the  world,  etc.  *'God  sent  not 
His  Son  into  the  world  to  condemn  the  world,  but 
that  the  world  through  Him  might  be  saved.") — More- 
over, Christ  calls  Himself  ''the  Light  of  the  world," 
John  8,  12;  not  the  light  of  Judea,  or  the  light  of 
Asia,  etc.  Even  His  disciples  He  calls  the  ''light  of 
the  world"  and  the  "salt  of  the  earth,"  (Matt.  5,  13. 
14) — characteristics  and  sphere  of  influence  and  work 
which  they  derive  from  Him. — Again,  Christ  declares 
that  ''the  Held  is  the  zuorld" — the  field,  namely,  into 
which  the  Son  of  Man  sows  the  good  seed  and  wliich 
is  to  be  harvested  at  His  second  coming;  the  "net" 
wdiich  "gathered  of  every  kind"  was  cast  "into  the 
sea."  (Matt.  13,  38.  47.)— Further,  He  says:  "The 
Son  of  Man  is  come  to  save  that  which  was  lost,"^ 


^(ToJffai  TO  anoXwXoq^  that  which  has  been  lost. 
This  verse  is  omitted  in  the  best  Mss.,  also  in  the  R.  V.,  but 
it  occurs  again  in  Luke  19,  10. 


102  MISSION    STUDIES. 

Matt.  1 8,  II,  —  that  which  in  the  common  fall  and 
wandering  away  of  mankind  has  been  lost,  in  general, 
without  distinction,  wherever  it  may  be.  (Compare 
the  parables  of  the  lost  sheep,  the  coin,  and  the  prodigal 
—  lost  in  the  wilderness,  the  house,  the  regions  be- 
yond—  Jews,  diaspora,  the  heathen.) 

(3)  Service  in  the  kingdom.  The  heart  and 
crown  of  the  service  to  be  rendered  is  pure  and 
spiritual  Zi/orship  of  God.  John  4,  20-24.  Worship 
in  spirit  and  in  truth,  corresponding  to  the  character 
of  the  kingdom.  This  word  of  Christ,  let  it  be  noted, 
was  spoken  to  a  Samaritan  zvoman.  A  suggestive 
and  prophetic  circumstance.  The  disciples  marvelled, 
but  were  silent.  They  did  not  understand  it,  but  wisely 
and  reverently  deferred  to  the  superior  wisdom  of  the 
Master.  Such  worship  is  not  hound  to  a  particular 
place,  nor  to  a  particular  form.  Hence  no  local,  na- 
tional, civil,  social  or  ceremonial  limitations  are  placed 
upon  service  in  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  In  this  pas- 
sage Christ  declares  a  nezi}  principle  of  zvorship,  op- 
posed to  a  dead,  hypocritical,  legalistic,  formal  wor- 
ship, confined  to  a  certain  place  and  depending  on  a 
particular  priesthood. 

(4)  Conditions  of  admission  into  the  kingdom. 
These  are  repentance  and  faith.  Matt.  4,  17;  Mark 
I,  15,  etc.  Same  condition  for  Jezi^s  and  Gentiles. 
Matt.  8,  10,  (the  centurion's  great  faith  contrasted 
with  that  found  in  Israel)  ;  Matt.  11,  21,  (Tyre  and 
Sidon  would  have  repented.)  Same  condition  for  all 
men.  Luke  24,  47,  (repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
preached  among  all  nations.)  Cf.  Acts  17,  30.  The 
kingdom  belongs  to  the  spiritually  poor,  to  them  that 
hunger   and   thirst   after   righteousness,   to   babes,   to 


CIl.    10.  THE  SON   OF   MAN.  103 

children;  Matt.  5,  3  ff;  n,  25;  18,  2;  19,  14.  —  All 
who  are  weary  and  heavy  laden  Jesus  invites  to  come 
unto  Him.     I\Iatt.  11,  28. 

All  this  shows  the  universality  of  the  kingdom 
of  God,  its  spiritual  character  and  universal  scope; 
provision  made  for  the  salvation  of  all  mankind  with- 
out respect  of  persons;  the  adaptation  of  the  Gospel 
to  all  classes  and  conditions  of  men,  and  entrance  into 
the  kingdom  in  no  wise  dependent  upon  external  and 
accidental  circumstances  and  conditions,  as  sex,  age, 
color,  language,  nationality,  social  standing,  wealth, 
etc.  And  it  is  easily  seen  how  fundamental  these  uni- 
versal ideas  of  salvation  are  to  the  development  of 
missionary  thoughts  and  the  prosecution  of  missionary 
work. 

b.  The  Son  of  Man.  Christ  calls  Himself  by  this 
name  repeatedly  (no  less  than  twenty-nine  times  in 
St.  Matthew)  and  with  evident  purpose.  He  cannot 
intend  merely  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  He  was  true 
man,  —  none  of  His  contemporaries  doubted  that.  But 
by  this  title  Jesus  characterizes  Himself  as  the  Mes- 
sianic King  not  only  of  Israel,  but  of  mankind.  Cf. 
Matt.  8,  20;  9,  6  (the  Son  of  Man  hath  power  to 
forgive  sins);  11,  19;  12,  8  (is  Lord  even  of  the 
Sabbath);  12,  32;  12,  40;  13,  37  (He  that  soweth 
the  good  seed  is  the  Son  of  Man.  The  field  is  the 
world)  ;  13,  41  (shall  send  forth  His  angels)  ;  16, 
13;  16,  27  (shall  come  in  the  glory  of  His  Father)  ; 
16,  28;  17,  9;  17,  12;  17,  22;  18,  II  (is  come  to 
save  the  lost)  ;  19,  28  (when  the  Son  of  Man  shall 
sit  on  the  throne  of  His  glory)  ;  20,  18;  20,  28  (came 
not  to  be  ministered  unto,  but  to  minister,  and  to  give 
His  life  a  ransom  for  many);    24,  27;    24,  30;    24, 


104  MISSION    STUDIES. 

IJ.    39;     24,    44;     25,    13;     25,   31;     26,    2;     26,    24;     26, 

45 ;  26,  64.  John  3,  14  (even  so  must  the  Son  of 
Man  be  lifted  up,  that  ivhosocver  beUeveth,  etc)  ; 
John  5,  53  (except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  Man). 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  and  the  Son  of  Man  are 
correlative  terms.  As  man,  even  the  God-man,  Jesus 
founds  and  completes  the  kingdom  of  heaven  on  earth, 
and  that  a  universal  kingdom,  embracing  people  of 
all  times,  of  all  nations  and  tongues.  Matt.  24,  27.  30 
and  26,  64,  Christ  refers  to  the  prophet  Daniel  who  in 
ch.  7,  13.  14  applies  this  name  to  the  promised  Messiah, 
ascribing  to  Him  a  universal  kingdom  (all  people,  na- 
tions and  languages)  and  an  everlasting  dominion. 
By  appropriating  this  title  the  Lord  implies  that  He 
is  the  Messiah,  whose  kingdom  is  that  described  by 
the  prophet. 

This  name  was  not  the  one  usually  employed 
by  the  contemporaries  of  Christ.  The  popular  name 
with  them  was  "David's  Son,"  which  Christ  never 
uses  to  apply  to  Himself.  In  Matt.  22,  41-45,  and 
Mark  12,  35-37,  He  refers  to  this  name  in  order  to 
show  the  Pharisees  that  they  have  an  inadequate  and 
erroneous  conception  of  the  Messiah. 

Christ  was  a  Jew  after  the  flesh,  —  a  loyal  Jewish 
patriot.  He  wept  over  His  impenitent  and  perverse 
nation.  Yet  He  was  not  nativistic,  narrow,  national 
and  circumscribed  in  His  sympathies  and  aspirations. 
His  mission  and  aim,  but  broad,  world-wide,  co-ex- 
tensive with  the  human  race.  He  is  the  Son  of  Man, 
—  not  of  Abraham  merely,  but  of  Adam.  He  is  the 
representative  of  mankind.  He  belongs  to  mankind 
and  mankind  should  of  right  belong  to  Him.  The 
missionary  trend  and  force  of  all  this  is  evident. 


Ch.    10.  TiEIE    NAME   APOSTLES.  105 

2.  Missionary  references  and  declarations. 
These  introduce  and  prepare  the  way  for  the  Great 
Command. 

a.  The  name  "Apostles"  appUed  to  the  Twelve. 
Luke  6,  13;  Matt.  lo,  2;  John  13,  16;  Mark  3,  14. 
Apostolos  (from  apostello)  one  sent,  a  herald,  an 
envoy.  Surely  not  an  empty,  meaningless  title.  It 
designates  and  characterizes  their  office  and  the  work 
to  which  they  w^re  called.  They  have  a  mission; 
they  are  missionaries. 

The  calling,  office  and  mission  of  the  disciples  as 
witnesses  and  heralds,  even  ambassadors  of  the  Most 
High,  was  clear  to  Jesus  and  thoroughly  understood 
by  Him  at  the  outset,  when  He  called  them.  The 
name,  given  at  the  opening  of  His  public  ministry,  is 
a  prophecy  and  promise  of  the  Great  Commission 
spoken  at  its  close.  This  alone  is  sufficient  to  show 
the  falsity  and  emptiness  of  the  claims  of  certain 
modern  destructive  critics  who  in  their  assaults  upon 
the  New  Testament  would  rob  even  the  great  mis- 
sionary command  of  its  divine  origin  and  authority 
and  make  it  an  interpolation  of  later  times. ^ 

h.  Citations  from  the  Old  Testament  and  re- 
ferences to  events  which  occurred  under  the  old  dis- 
pensation. 

(i)     Luke  4,  25-27.     (A  word  spoken  in  the  first 


^Compare,  e.  g.,  Harnack's  "Die  Mission  und  Ausbreitung 
des  Christentums  in  den  ersten  drei  Jahrhunderten."  He 
makes  such  bold  and  unsupported  assertions  as  these:  "Mis- 
sions to  the  heathen  can  not  have  come  within  the  scope  of 
Christ's  view  and  purpose."  "The  missionary  command  was 
simply  constructed  out  of  the  historical  development  of  later 
times." 


106  MISSION"   STUDIES. 

year  of  Christ's  ministry.)  Elijah  sent  to  the  widow 
of  Sarepta,  of  Sidon,  and  EHsha's  service  to  Naaman 
the  Syrian. — Jesus  at  Nazareth.  The  Jews  filled  with 
wrath  ;    thrust  Him  out  of  the  city,  etc. 

(2)  Matt.  12,  41.  42.  (Second  year  of  Christ's 
ministry.)  The  Ninevites  and  their  missionary  Jonah. 
They  repented.  They  shall  condemn  this  impenitent 
generation  —  the  queen  of  the  south  came  from  afar 
to  hear  the  wisdom  of  Solomon.  A  greater  than 
Solomon  is  here,  come  right  to  you  and  among  you, 
and  ye  refuse  to  receive  Him.  The  queen  of  the 
south  shall  rise  up  and  shall  condemn  this  unbelieving 
generation.  Notice  the  context,  v.  58-40,  Christ  fore- 
telling His  death  under  "the  sign  of  the  prophet 
Jonas." 

The  evident  meaning  and  intent  of  these  re- 
ferences is  this:  If,  through  the  ministry  of  Efijah 
and  Elisha,  of  Jonah  and  Solomon,  divine  favor  was 
bestowed  upon  the  Gentiles,  how  much  more,  under 
the  kingdom  of  Him  who  is  greater  than  these,  shall 
the  Gentiles  be  made  partakers  of  His  saving  grace. 

(3)  Mark  11,  17.  (Cf.  Isa.  56,  7;  60,  7;  Zech. 
2,  II.)  (Third  year  of  Christ's  ministry.)  'Ts  it  not 
written.  My  house  shall  be  called  a  house  of  prayer 
for  all  nations?"  R.  V.  A  missionary  thought  inci- 
dentally spoken.  The  house  which  they  were  dese- 
crating was  intended  to  be  a  house  of  prayer,  and  that 
not  only  for  Jews,  but  for  Gentiles  also.  Yet  these  are 
still  regarded  as  coming  to  Jerusalem  for  instruction, 
to  the  temple  for  worship,  a  missionary  thought  of 
much  less  force  and  directness  than  that  expressed  in 
the  missionary  command. 


CIl.    10.  FIELDS    WHITE    TO    HARVEST.  107 

c.     Direct  declarations  of  missioticry  thoughts. 

(i)  John  4,  34-38.  (Christ's  first  year.)  His 
visit  to  Samaria.  The  whole  narrative  full  of  sig- 
nificance, rich  in  missionary  thought.  Verse  34 :  The 
Savior  an  example  of  whole-souled,  self-sacrificing  de- 
votion to  God  in  mission  work ;  eagerness  to  do  God's 
will;  joyfulness  in  service  (as  it  is  written  of  Him: 
'T  delight  to  do  Thy  will,  O  my  God.")  ;  constancy 
and  patient  endurance  unto  the  end ;  spiritual  life  sus- 
tained by  spending  and  being  spent  in  God's  service. 
— V.  35  :  The  fields  white  to  harvest,  calling  for  many 
laborers,  and  for  consecrated  workers.  Condition  at 
present.  Open  doors,  inter-communication,  etc. ;  much 
preparatory  work  done.  The  Church's  responsibility, 
V.  ^y :  "One  soweth,  and  another  reapeth."  Unselfish 
labor.  T)isinterestedness.  Patient  endurance.  Ex- 
amples of  pioneer  missionaries,  Allen  Gardiner,  Henry 
Martyn,  etc. 

For  an  introductory  lesson  this  is  a  large  and 
comprehensive  one,  giving  an  extensive  outline  and 
broad  outlook,  reaching  ahead  of  the  disciples'  attain- 
ments, setting  them  to  thinking  and  wondering  and 
comparing. 

(2)  Matt.  8,  II.  (Second  year.)  Many  shall 
come  from  the  East  and  West,  etc.  In  connection 
with  the  healing  of  the  Centurion's  servant  at  Caper- 
naum. His  great  faith  in  contrast  with  the  unbelief 
in  Israel.  Still,  the  heathen  are  regarded  here  as 
"coming,"  rather  than  missionaries  being  sent  to  them. 
Cf.   Matt.  2,    I    f¥.     The   coming  of   the   Magi   from 


108  MISSION    STUDIES. 

the   East   to  Jerusalem  —  humiliatin.G:  to   the    leaders 
of  the  Jewish  Church.^ 

(3)  Luke  13,  29.  (Third  year.)  Scene,  Jeru- 
salem. They  shall  come  from  the  East  and  from  the 
West,  from  the  North  and  from  the  South,  and  shall 
sit  down  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

(4)  Matt.  21,  43.  Spoken  to  the  chief  priests 
and  elders  in  the  temple,  where  Christ  was  teaching. 
''The  kingdom  of  God  shall  be  taken  from  you  and 
given  to  a  nation  bringing  forth  the  fruits  thereof." 
Cf.  Acts  13,  46.  Paul  at  Antioch  in  Pisidia :  "Lo, 
we  turn  to  the  Gentiles."  Acts  18,  6.  Paul  at  Corinth : 
''From  henceforth  I  will  go  unto  the  Gentiles."  Acts 
28,  28.  Paul  at  Rome :  "The  salvation  of  God  is  sent 
unto  the  Gentiles,  and  they  will  hear  it."  Cf.  also 
Romans  ch.  9  to  ch.  11. 

(5)  Luke  15,  11-32.  (Third  year.)  The  return 
of  the  prodigal  son.  The  two  sons  doubtless  repre- 
sent, in  the  first  place,-  the  two  classes  among  the 
Jews :  the  murmuring  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  to  whom 
the  parable  was  spoken,  and  the  publicans  and  sinners, 
the  common  people.  But  the  parable  also  includes  and 
may  typically  represent  Jews  and  Gentiles. 

(6)  Luke  14,  23.  (Parable  of  the  Great  Sup- 
per. Gospel  Lesson  for  the  second  Sunday  after 
Trinity.)^     "Go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges  and 


^Compare  Warneck,  Missionsstimden,  vol.  I.,  pp.  29 
and  30.      *So  Trench  and  others. 

^A  helpful  and  suggestive  treatise  on  the  missionary 
thoughts  in  the  regular  Gospel  Lessons  of  the  Church  Year 
is  "Missionsgedanken  aus  den  altkirchlichen  evangelischcn 
Perikopen,"  by  F.  Begrich,  a  little  work  of  115  pages. 


Ch.    lO.  OCCUPY    TILL   I    COME.  109 

compel  them  to  come  in.''  Spoken  at  a  meal  with  one 
of  the  chief  Pharisees,  —  at  an  earlier  period  than 
the  Marriage  of  the  King's  Son.  Godet  says :  "As 
verse  21  is  the  text  of  the  first  part  of  the  Acts  (ch. 
I -12,  conversion  of  the  Jev^s),  so  are  verses  22  and  23 
of  the  second  part  (ch.  13  to  end,  conversion  of  the 
Gentiles),  and  even  of  the  present  economy."  The 
whole  parable  is  full  of  missionary  thoughts. 

(7)  Matt.  2.2,  9.  (Parable  of  the  Marriage  of 
the  King's  Son.  Spoken  in  the  temple;  at  a  later 
period,  when  the  enmity  of  the  Pharisees  had  reached 
the  highest  pitch.)  "Go  ye,  therefore,  into  the  high- 
ways, and  as  may  as  ye  shall  find  bid  to  the  marriage.'' 
Compare  Matt.  8.  11.  12  (quoted  above),  which 
Trench  says,  "contains,  so  to  speak,  this  parable  in  the 
germ."  In  the  passage  before  us  a  direct  mission  is 
implied :  "Go  ye."  The  King  sends  forth  servants, 
heralds. 

(8)  Matt.  24,  14:  "This  Gospel  of  the  king- 
dom shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world  (inhabited 
earth)  for  a  zvitncss  unto  all  nations,  and  then  shall 
the  end  come."  A.nd  Matt.  26,  13:  "Wheresoever 
this  Gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the  za^holc  zvorld,  there 
shall  also  this"  (the  anointing  in  Bethany)  "be  told," 
etc.  —  These  passages  reveal  with  unmistakable  clear- 
ness :  I.  Salvation  to  be  offered  to  all;  2.  Through 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel ;   3.  Then  the  end. 

Compare  with  this  the  parable  of  the  Talents, 
Luke  19,  II  ff.  V.  13:  ''Occupy  till  I  conic:'  xA.nd 
Acts  I,  6  and  8.  Not  for  you  to  know  the  times,  etc., 
but  "ye  shall  be  witnesses,"  etc.  The  important  thing 
is  not  to  know  the  length  of  the  interval  of  time  until 


110  MISSION    STUDIES. 

Christ's  second  advent  and  the  end  of  the  world,  but 
to  fulfil  our  mission  and  to  work  while  it  is  day. 

(9)  John  10,  16.  (Third  Year).  ''Other  sheep 
I  have  which  are  not  of  this  fold ....  them  also  I  must 
bring.... one  fold  and  one  Shepherd."  (Gospel 
second  Sunday  after  Easter.)  The  Gentiles  shall  be 
brought  into  the  kingdom.  They  belong  to  Christ 
as  well  as  the  Jews.  He  is  under  equal  obligation 
(constraint  of  love)  to  save  them  as  He  is  to  save  the 
Jews.     They  will  be  admitted  on  equal  terms,  etc. 

(10)  John  12,  20-25  and  32.  Certain  Greeks, 
proselytes,  probably,  came  up  to  worship  at  the  feast 
and  desired  to  see  Jesus.  —  V.  24 :  "Except  a  com  of 
wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die  it  abideth  alone ; 
but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  —  V.  32: 
''I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men 
unto  me."  —  In  these  passages  we  have  the  key  to  the 
question  why  Christ  confined  His  personal  labor  to 
Israel  and  postponed  giving  the  direct  commission 
until  after  His  resurrection.  Compare  Is.  53,  10-12. 
Christ,  having  given  His  life  as  a  ransom,  having 
poured  out  His  soul  unto  death,  shall  see  of  the  travail 
of  His  soul,  shall  be  satisfied,  shall  divide  the  spoil 
with  the  strong.  The  completion  of  the  sacrifice  for 
the  propitiation  of  the  sins  of  the  whole  world  was 
necessary  in  order  to  the  inauguration  of  the  era  of 
world-wide  missions,  the  era  of  universal  proclama- 
tion of  salvation  and  universal  ingathering  of  fruit. 
With  this  "drawing"  of  Christ  crucified  begins  the 
realization  of  the  universality  of  salvation,  of  which 
the  prophets  and  saints  of  the  Old  Testament  spake 
and  sang.    All  things  are  now  ready.    And  now  fol- 


Ch.    10.  THE    MISSIONARY    COMMAND.  Ill 

lows  the  direct  command  to  proclaim  the  good  tid- 
ings unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth. 

3.     The  Great  Conimission. 

The  way  has  been  paved.  The  divine  thought  of 
missions  has  been  presented  and  developed.  Apostles, 
missionaries,  have  been  prepared.  And  then,  after 
Christ  has  fully  completed  the  work  of  redemption 
and  filled  the  Gospel  with  the  saving  power  of  His 
love  and  vicarious  sacrifice,  and  He  is  about  to  ascend 
to  the  seat  of  divine  power  and  majesty  and  universal 
dominion.  He  sends  His  ministers  and  heralds  forth 
into  the  harvest  field  of  the  world,  and  lays  upon  the 
Church  of  all  succeeding  generations  and  ages  the 
obligation  to  carry  on  the  work  of  evangelization  until 
His  second  advent  in  glory.  How  much  time  has 
elapsed,  what  a  long  way  has  been  traveled,  what  in- 
finite care  and  patience,  forbearance  and  long  suffer- 
ing, have  been  exercised  by  the  Lord  of  all  before  the 
world  was  ready  for  this  golden  age  of  peace  and 
good  will  and  salvation. 

The  Great  Commission  appears  as  the  mature 
fruit  that  has  passed  through  all  the  natural  stages 
of  growth.  The  point  of  advance  upon  the  previous 
words  of  Christ  is  not  this,  that  salvation  is  to  be 
offered  to  all  men  through  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel.  This  had  been  clearly  stated  and  taught,  first 
by  the  prophets  and  the  providential  movements  and 
events  of  the  old  dispensation,  and  then  more  clearly 
by  Christ  Himself  before  His  death.  But  the  point 
of  advance,  the  new  departure,  is  this,  that  now,  all 
things  having  been  prepared,  and  God's  set  time  hav- 
ing come,  messengers  are  specially  sent  out,  expressly 
commissior^ed,  to  carry  this  divine  purpose  into  effect. 


112  MISSION    STUDIES. 

The  Great  Commission  appears  in  the  sacred 
records  five  times,  in  different  forms  of  statement  and 
in  somewhat  different  connections  and  relations.  It 
was  spoken  to  the  disciples  in  Jerusalem  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  resurrection  day,  and  repeated  and  re- 
affirmed on  the  mountain  in  Galilee,  and  on  the  Mount 
of  Olives  just  previous  to  the  ascension.  It  is  both 
interesting  and  profitable  to  make  a  careful  study  of 
each  one  of  these  records,  to  compare  and  combine 
them. 

(i)  Matt.  28,  18-20.  (Spoken  on  a  mountain 
in  Galilee.  Present  were  ''the  Eleven,''  probably  also 
those  disciples  who  are  referred  to  in  i  Cor.  15,  6: 
''Above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once.")  "All  au- 
thority hath  been  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on 
earth.  Go  ye,  therefore,  and  make  disciples  of  all 
the  nations,"  etc.  R.  V.  The  Lord  here  bases  His 
command  upon  the  fulness  of  His  own  authority  and 
power  as  Lord  and  King  in  heaven  and  earth.  He 
who  has  prepared  salvation  has  authority  to  send  out 
heralds  to  proclaim  it.  He  to  whom  is  given  all  au- 
thority in  heaven  and  on  earth  shall  have  dominion 
from  sea  to  sea,  even  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth.  His  ambassadors  go  forth,  backed  and  sup- 
ported by  His  divine  authority  and  power.  They  are 
men,  frail  and  faulty ;  but  theirs  is  a  divine  mission, 
as  they  have  received  a  divine  commission. 

(2)  Mark  16,  15.  (Spoken  to  the  Eleven  as 
they  sat  at  meat  —  in  Jerusalem  —  on  the  resurrection 
day.)  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  the  whole  creation."  —  R.  V. 

(3)  Luke  24,  46-48.  (To  the  Eleven  and  "them 
that  were  with  them"  —  in  Jerusalem  —  the  same  day 


Ch.    10.  YE   ARE   WITNESSES.  113 

—  the  two  disciples  having  returned  from  Emmaus.) 
"Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behooved  Christ  to 
suffer.  .  .  .and  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 
should  be  preached  in  His  name  among  all  nations, 
beginning  at  Jerusalem.'' — The  ground  of  the  com- 
mand here  is :  "The  Scriptures  must  be  fulfilled."  — 
The  provision  and  offer  of  salvation  traced  back  to 
the  eternal  counsels  of  God's  grace,  a  fulfilment  of 
His  promises  made  of  old. 

Verse  48:  "Ye  are  witnesses  of  these  things." 
Witnesses  of  the  things  pertaining  to  Christ's  person 
and  work,  and  witnesses  to  Him  and  His  work  of  re- 
demption. Missionaries  are  not  nierely  teachers  and 
preachers,  but  witnesses,  giving  utterance  to  their  own 
personal  knowledge,  conviction,  experience.  "Every 
one  in  whose  heart  the  Spirit  has  glorified  and  sealed 
the  life  and  the  word  of  Jesus  is  a  witness  to  these 
things." 

(4)  John  20,  21.  (Evening  of  resurrection 
day.)  "As- my  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I 
you."     (Cf.  John  17,  18  —  the  High-priestly  prayer.) 

—  The  command  here  based  on  the  authority  implied 
and  embraced  in  His  own  mission.  The  authority  of 
Christ  to  send  forth  apostles  is  the  same  as  the  au- 
thority of  the  Father  in  sending  Him.  And  the 
character  of  their  commission  is  the  same  as  that  of 
Christ  —  to  bear  witness  unto  the  truth. 

(5)  Acts  I,  8.  (Mt.  Olivet— -just  before  His 
ascension.)  "Ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you,  and  ye  shall  be  wit- 
nesses unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea, 
and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the 


114  MISSION    STUDIES. 

earth,"  —  The  command  is  here  based  upon  the  im- 
pelHng  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  promised  unto  them. 

The  normal  order  of  development  and  extension 
will  always  follow  this  order  of  promise :  Jerusalem, 
all  Judea,  Samaria,  the  ends  of  the  earth.  So  in  the 
apostolic  age:  First  five  or  six  years,  city  mission 
period.  Acts  2,  43-8,  i.  Then  ten  or  twelve  years, 
home  mission  period  of  Syrian  missions,  Acts  8  to  12. 
The  culmination  of  this  period  of  home  mission  work 
was  the  establishment  of  Christianity  in  Antioch,  the 
capital  of  the  country.  It  was  about  sixteen  years  be- 
fore foreign  mission  work  was  definitely  undertaken. 

The  Great  Commission,  so  grounded  upon  the 
fulness  of  Christ's  power,  upon  the  Scriptures,  which 
cannot  fail,  upon  the  authority  inherent  in  His  own 
mission,  and  upon  the  impelling  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  closes  with  a  great  promise,  which,  in  view  of 
the  greatness  of  the  task  assigned,  the  difficulty  of 
the  work,  the  weakness  of  the  instruments  and  agents, 
etc.,  is  most  needful  and  a  source  of  never-failing  en- 
couragement to  Christian  workers.  "Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway."  Dr.  A.  J.  Gordon  says  in  the  language 
of  the  day :  'The  Great  Commission  is  a  check  on  the 
bank  of  heaven  as  truly  as  it  is  a  command  for  the 
Church  on  earth. "^  If  the  task  assigned  is  stupendous, 
the  resources  available  and  the  promised  encourage- 
ment are  inexhaustible.  Lord,  increase  our  faith  and 
make  us  more  faithful. 


^The  Holy  spirit  in  Missions. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  SCRIPTURE  GROUND.    (Concluded.) 

MISSIONARY  THOUGHTS  IN  THE  ACTS  OF  THE  APOSTLES.  1 

I.  Introductory  remarks  and  reflections.  Here 
we  have  a  book  of  such  primal  importance  in  mission 
study  that  it  may  profitably  engage  the  attention  of 
all  Christians,  alongside  of  their  devotional  reading 
of  other  portions  of  the  Bible,  year  in  and  year  out. 
We  have  before  us  the  first  and  original  history  of 
Christian  missions  during  the  apostolic  age.  And  it 
is  a  portion  of  the  inspired  Word  of  God,  showing 
how  the  apostles  understood  and  carried  out  Christ's 
missionary  command.  Dr.  Warneck  has  repeatedly 
made  the  suggestion  in  his  writings  that  the  Acts 
would  form  the  subject  of  most  profitable  study  and 
exposition  in  *'Bibelstunden"  —  midweek  services  — 
every  two  years.     Similarly  Ahlfeld,  and  Gerok.^ 

The  name  of  this  history  is  "Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles," a  name  or  title  in  use  at  the  close  of  the  second 
century.  It  has  been  more  recently  called  "The  Acts 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  and  "The  Acts  of  Jesus  by  the 
Holy    Spirit."     Apart    from   the    Immediate    occasion 


^Compare  Warneck,  Mission  in  der  Schule,  chap.  IV: 
"Studies  in  the  Acts."  Also  New  Testament  Studies  in  Mis- 
sions by  Harlan  P.  Beach,  Part  II.  "St.  Paul  and  the  Gentile 
World,"  being  a  presentation  in  outline  of  St.  Paul's  life  and 
labors  from  a  missionary  and  Biblical  point  of  view.  And 
Smith,  Short  History  of  Christian  Missions,  chap.  IV.  'Von 
Jerusalem  nach  Rom.  A  fine,  practical  and  popular  ex- 
position of  the  Acts  in  83  sermons. 

(115) 


116  MISSION   STUDIES. 

and  object  of  the  writing  (ch.  i,  i),  the  general  or 
universal  aim  of  the  book  may  be  stated  as  that  of 
furnishing  a  divine  record  of  the  planting  and  the 
propagation  of  Christianity,  the  founding  and  exten- 
sion of  the  Church  in  the  apostoHc  age ;  to  show  what 
the  exalted  Savior  had  done  througli  His  apostles, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  continue 
the  work  which  He  had  begun  in  His  humiliation. 

The  theme  of  the  book  is  stated  in  the  first  chap- 
ter and  eighth  verse,  being  a  re-statement  of  the 
Great  Commission.  In  the  carrying  out  of  this  theme 
and  the  general  aim  of  the  book  there  are  several 
striking  points  to  be  noted: 

a.  We  see  Christ,  as  Lord,  in  and  among  His 
people.  A  few  examples:  i,  24  (He  fills  the  va- 
cant apostleship)  ;  2,  33  (sends  His  Spirit)  ;  2,  47 
(increases  the  newly  founded  congregation);  3,  16; 
7>  565  9>  5^-  (Saul  is  conquered  by  Him)  ;  9,  10;  10, 
14;  16,  10  (He  calls  Paul  to  Europe)  ;  16,  14  (opens 
Lydia's  heart)  ;  18,  9;  23,  11. 

b.  The  activity  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Lord 
acts  not  only  through  His  angel  (5,  19),  but  through 
His  Spirit.  Examples:  2,  4  (imparts  the  gift  of 
tongues)  ;  4,  8.  31 ;  6,  10;  8,  18;  11,  12;  15,  28  (works 
in  and  through  believers)  ;  5,  3,  9;  13,  2;  15,  28  (lives 
in  the  congregation)  ;  16,  6.  7  (directs  the  apostles)  ; 
thus  is  shown  the  fulfilment  of  the  promise  of  power, 
Luke  24,  49. 

c.  The  narrative  covers  a  brief  space  of  time, 
but  a  large  territory.  About  thirty  years  (30  to  60 
A.  D.)  Field:  The  Roman  Empire.  Three  startegic 
radiating  centers:  Jerusalem,  Antioch,  Rome;  (Jew- 
ish,   Greek,    and    Roman    centers    respectively;   three 


Ch.    II.  GENERAL    OUTLINE.  117 

typical  world  races.)  Three  conditions  favored  the 
marvelous  extension  in  so  brief  a  time:  (i)  The 
universal  rule  of  the  Roman  Empire;  (2)  the  general 
use  of  the  Greek  language;  (3)  the  wide  dissemina- 
tion of  the  Old  Testament  in  the  Jewish  synagogues, 
where  the  new  faith  was  preached. 

d.  It  is  an  uncompleted  book.  It  is  the  earliest 
and  oldest  missionary  history  of  the  Christian  Church, 
a  history  begun  during  the  earthly  lives  of  Christ  and 
His  apostles,  and  continued  under  His  sovereign  au- 
thority and  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  until  the 
present  day,  —  to  be  continued  until  the  end  of  time. 
The  narrative  is  continued  in  the  many  histories,  nar- 
ratives and  biographies  with  which  church  literature 
has  been  enriched.^  But  the  book  of  Acts  affords  a 
norm  and  guide  for  all  future  ages.  It  exemplifies 
the  providence  of  God,  the  leadership  of  Christ,  and 
the  administration  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

2.     General  plan  and  outline  of  the  book. 

Introduction.  (Ch.  i.)  Time  of  preparation. 
Waiting  for  the  promise  of  the  Father.  The  fate  of 
Judas.     The  choice  of  Matthias. 

First  Part.  (Ch.  2 — 12.  A.  D.  44).  Spread- 
ing of  the  Gospel  among  the  Jezvs,  through  St.  Peter 
especially.  The  history  of  the  Church  from  its  found- 
ing at  Pentecost  till,  leaving  the  mother  church  at  Je- 
rusalem, it  is  ready  to  begin  its  career  of  conquest 
among  the  Gentiles.  Scene  of  action :  Palestine. 
Leading  personage :  Peter,  with  John,  and  James,  and 
Philip,  as  helpers. 

I.     At  Jerusalem.     (Ch.  2-y.)     From  Pentecost 

^Cf.,  e.  g.,  The  New  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  by  Dr.  A.  T. 
Piersorj. 


118  MISSION    STUDIES. 

to  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen  (A.  D.  37.)  Jewish- 
Christian  church  in  Jerusalem :  Pentecost.  First  mir- 
acle. First  persecution.  First  apostacy.  First  offi- 
cers.    First  martyr. 

II.  In  Palestine  in  general.  (Ch.  8-12.)  Di- 
vine preparation  for  mission  work  among  the  Gentiles. 
Mission  in  Samaria.  African  convert.  Saul  con- 
verted. Church  of  Joppa.  Cornelius  converted. 
Gentiles  admitted.     Second  martyr. 

Second  Part.  (Ch.  13-28,  A.  D.  63.)  Spread- 
ing of  the  Gospel  among  the  Gentiles,  through  St. 
Paul  especially.  Christianity  throws  off  its  Jewish 
fetters  and  becomes  cosmopolitan.  Fields :  Syria, 
Asia  Minor,  Greece,  Rome.  Leading  personage: 
Paul,  with  Barnabas,  Silas,  Luke,  Timothy,  and 
Titus,  as  helpers. 

I.  Paul's  active  ministry.  (Ch.  13-21,  16.) 
Church  of  Antioch.  Paul's  first  tour  (A.  D.  48-50.) 
Council  at  Jerusalem.  Paul's  second  tour  (52-55.) 
Paul's  third  tour  (56-59.) 

II.  Paul's  captivity.  (Ch.  21,  17-28,  31.)  His 
reception  at  Jerusalem.  Mobbed  in  the  temple. 
Paul  at  Csesarea.     Paul  at  Rome. 

3.     More  detailed  study  of  salient  passages. 

Introductory.  Chapter  i.  Verse  3.  Theme  of 
conversation  during  the  forty  days  between  Christ's 
resurrection  and  ascension.  The  establishment  and 
extension  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom.  Closing  mis- 
sionary instruction  of  the  Savior  in  person. — V.  4. 
Waiting  for  the  promise  of  the  Father.  Cf.  Acts  2, 
^^2i  (the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost)  ;  Luke  24,  49 
(''until  ye  be  clothed  with  power  from  on  high.") 
Condition  of  success  in  the  spiritual  work  of  God's 


Ch.    II.  FIRST    PART    OF    ACTS.  119 

kingdom.  Application  to  the  minister  and  mission- 
ary in  all  his  work,  at  every  stage  of  his  career. — V. 
8.  The  Great  Commission',  (i)  Points  out  the  way 
of  the  Gospel,  the  course  and  order  of  procedure,  from 
the  home  center  ever  further  out  (ch.  2,  43-8,  i,  city 
mission  work;  ch.  8  to  12,  home,  Syrian,  missions; 
ch.  13  to  28,  foreign  missions).  (2)  The  heralds  of 
the  Gospel,  the  commissioned,  witnesses,  cf.  verse  23, 
martyrs  (in  German:  Blutzeugen — blood-witnesses). 
Paul  plants,  Apollos  waters ;  God  gives  the  increase. 
(3)  Promise  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Power, 
efficiency  in  the  work. — Vv.  21  and  22.  Qualifica- 
tions for  entrance  into  the  apostolate, — and  by  way 
of  further  application  into  the  ministry  and  mission 
service.  Among  others,  two :  ( i )  Christian  knowl- 
edge —  to  know  Christ  and  the  power  of  His  resur- 
rection;  (2)  Loyalty  and  faithfulness  —  "with  us  all 
the  time."  —  Vv.  23-25.  The  congregation  proposes 
candidates;  the  Lord  decides  between  them.  It  is 
He,  then,  who  fills  the  vacant  apostleship, — calls 
ministers,  sends  forth  missionaries,  through  the  ser- 
vice, the  agency,  of  the  Church. 

First  Part.     Ch.  2-12.     Spreading  of  the  Gospel 
among  the  Jezvs. 

Chapter  2.  The  pentecostal  miracle,  1-13;  the 
Pentecostal  sermon,  14-36 ;  the  pentecostal  blessing, 
37-47.  —  Verse  i.  Pentecost,  the  Harvest  Thanks- 
giving Day  in  Israel.  Suggestive  time  for  "ingath- 
ering."— V.  4.  Filled  with  the  Holy  Spirit,  who 
gave  them  utterance.  "Out  of  the  abundance  of  the 
heart  the  mouth  speaketh."  Matt.  12,  34.  "Other 
tongues."  Different  tongues.  Vv.  6  and  8.  Our 
own  language,   5tdkexro(;,  —  "in  our  own  native  lan^ 


120  MISSION    STUDIES. 

guage."^  The  expression  must  mean  ''foreign  lan- 
guages." Cf.  Mark  16,  17;  Acts  10,  46;  19,  6;  i  Cor. 
12  and  14.  A  pentecostal  prophecy:  The  Gospel  to 
be  preached  in  all  languages,  among  all  nations. 
What  strides  during  the  past  century.^  The  Bible 
translated,  in  whole  or  in  part,  into  nearly  400  lan- 
guages and  dialects  at  present. — V.  17.  **Upon  all 
flesh."  Mankind,  without  distinction  of  age,  sex,  or 
outward  condition."  The  missionary  thought:  Gen- 
tiles as  well  as  Jews.  Wide  dissemination  of  the 
Gospel. — V.  39.  *'A11  that  are  afar  off,"  —  offouq, 
as  many  as,  cf.  3,  24;  John  3,  16,  7:5?  0,  whosoever; 
Acts  2,  21.  The  word  ''as  many  as"  emphasizes 
the  truth,  that  without  divine  grace  and  the  divine  call 
none  could  be  saved.  Vv.  44-47.  Illustration  of  the 
benevolent,  charitable  spirit  of  Christianity.  Exhib- 
ited in  all  Christian  mission  work:  medical  missions 
and  other  charities  in  the  foreign  field;  inner  mis- 
sions in  all  spheres  and  departments. 

Chapter  3.  Healing  of  a  lame  man  by  Peter  and 
John,  Vv.  i-io;  second  sermon  of  Peter,  11-16.  Verse 
I.  Peter  and  John.  Often  together,  before  and  af- 
ter Pentecost.  So  diverse  in  gift  and  disposition,  and 
yet  so  harmonious.  Completing  one  another.  So 
Luther  and  Melanchthon ;  Zwingli  and  Oecolampa- 
dius.  An  example  for  disciples  in  church  work  and 
mission  service. — V.  4.  A  lesson  on  having  open 
eyes   for  providential   openings  and  events,  and  em- 


'Twentieth  Century  New  Testament.  In  quoting  the 
text  in  this  study  we  follow,  for  the  most  part,  the  American 
Revised  Version.  "Cf.,  Dennis,  Foreign  Missions  After  a 
Century.  '  Stage  translates :  ''Auf  alle  Menschen"— upon  all 
people,  all  mankind.     So,  also,  the  Twentieth  Century  N.  T. 


Ch.    II.  IN    THE    PATH    OF   DUTY.  121 

bracing  opportunities. — V.  12.  The  apostle  a  model 
of  humility  and  loyalty  —  an  example  for  all  Chris- 
tian workers.  No  self-seeking,  no  self-praise.  Like 
John  the  Baptist,  only  a  voice.  ''He  must  increase, 
I  must  decrease."  Luther,  resenting  the  use  of  his 
name  as  designation  of  a  church.  Christ,  not  the 
preacher,  into  the  foreground.  V.  26.  Missionary 
thought:  unto  the  Jews  first,  but  not  exclusively;  cf. 
Acts  13,  46;  Rom.  I,  16;  Matt.  15,  24;  John  4,  22. 
The  exalted  privileges  and  blessings  of  the  people  of 
God.  A  good  text  for  the  study  of  privilege  and  re- 
sponsibility. 

Chapter  4.  First  trial  of  the  apostles,  Vv.  1-22; 
fruits  and  blessings  of  the  first  trial,  23-37.  Verse 
I.  And  as  they  spake.  Trial  comes  upon  them  in 
the  path  of  duty;  they  are  fulfilling  their  mission. 
So  let  it  be  with  us  when  trials  come.  Compare  the 
lives  and  deaths  of  John  Williams,  Bishop  Patteson, 
Mackay,  the  Gordons,  John  G.  Paton,  and  hosts  of 
others.  —  V.  9.  A  good  deed.  Gentle  reproof.  Sim- 
ilarly the  Master.  He  went  about  doing  good,  con- 
tinually bestowing  benedictions  and  benefactions ;  yet 
His  actions  were  misconstrued.  Comfort  for  the 
Christian  worker  in  the  face  of  carping,  unjust  criti- 
cism. —  The  impotent  man  "made  whole,"  ffiffcurat — 
(TwZui  —  ffwT7)pia  —  preserve,  heal,  deliver,  save.  The 
man  was  made  whole,  saved,  in  body  and  soul, — 
salvation  physical  and  spiritual.  This  is  a  concrete 
example  of  the  work  of  inner  missions.  Christian  and 
churchly  rescue  mission  work.  —  V.  12.  Jesus  Christ, 
the  only  Savior  and  the  only  salvation  for  all  ttven. 
The  central,  fundamental  missionary  thought  of  the 
New  Testament  and  of  the  Gospel.  —  V.  20.    Faith 


122  MISSION    STUDIES. 

and  utterance.  Moral  and  spiritual  compulsion  to 
mission  work.  The  true,  abiding  motive.  No  legal- 
istic measures  from  without,  but  motive  power,  life, 
living  impulse  from  within.  —  V.  24.  The  reply  of 
the  congregation  to  the  report  of  the  menaced  apos- 
tles, directed  not  to  man,  but  to  God,  —  words  of  fer- 
vent prayer. .  A  great  and  needful  lesson  for  our 
time.  Amid  our  deliberations,  and  discussions,  may 
we  not  be  hypercritical,  fault-finding,  and  the  like, 
and  be  forgetting  fervent  prayer,  turning  toward  the 
source  of  all  wisdom  and  might? — V.  28.  Divine 
omnipotence  and  wisdom,  decreeing,  directing,  con- 
trolling, overruling.  Cf.  Acts  2,  23.  God's  provi- 
dence in  missions  and  in  all  the  work  of  the  Church. 
— Vv.  32-37.  The  early  Christian  community  as  a 
model  for  mission  work,  particularly  inner  missions; 
not  in  form  and  method,  but  in  spirit  and  principle, — 
the  spirit  of  brotherhood  in  Christ,  and  of  Christ-like 
service. 

Chapter  5.  Vv.  i-ii.  Lessons  from  the  first 
sad  and  dark  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  apostolic 
Church :  ( I )  We  must  not  look  for  a  state  of  perfec- 
tion on  earth,  even  in  the  Church.  Tares  among  the 
wheat.  The  Gospel  net  encloses  fishes  good  and  bad. 
Denial  of  Novatianism.  The  young  pastor  and  mis- 
sionary forewarned.  (2)  Example  of  the  candor  of 
the  Scriptures  in  revealing  and  condemning  the  sins 
of  those  numbered  among  the  Lord's  people.  (3) 
The  Lord  ''searcheth  the  heart."  Applied  with  ref- 
erence to  our  gifts  and  offerings.  Look  well  to  the 
purity  of  the  motive.  (4)  Severity  of  judgment 
gauged  by  the  measure  of  grace  and  blessing  received. 
To  whom  much  is  given,  etc.     (5)   Even  such  trials 


Ch.    II.  ON    MINISTERING.  123 

in  the  Church  redound  to  the  glory  of  God.  A  whole- 
some fear ;  warning  to  many ;  incitement  to  greater 
watchfulness  and  more  fervent  godliness.  —  Vv.  12- 
16.  Growth  and  extension  of  the  Church  after  whole- 
some discipline.  —  V.  29.  Must  obey  God  rather 
than  men.  A  principle  for  the  pastor  and  missionary 
of  today.  Resist,  kindly,  but  firmly,  demands  of  men 
(however  influential  in  the  congregation, — leaders, 
perhaps)  when  they  run  counter  to  the  Word  and  will 
of  God.  —  V.  32.  We  are  witnesses,  —  and  so  is  the 
Holy  Spirit.  "The  Holy  Spirit,  the  greater  witness, 
different  from  the  human  consciousness,  but  ruling 
and  working  in  believers,  witnesses  imth  them."^  Cf. 
Acts  15,  28;  John  15,  26.  2^ ;  Rom.  8,  16 — (ro'jrj.apro- 
ps~t.  —  Vv.  38  and  39.  Lesson  from  history :  God's 
hand,  directing,  furthering,  blessing ;  or  hindering, 
overthrowing,  condemning. 

Chapter  6,  Vv.  1-6.  Appointment  of  the  first  apos- 
tolic helpers. — V.  3.  Qualifications:  (i)  Good 
reputation;  (2)  Spirit-filled;  (3)  Men  of  wisdom,  of 
practical  tact.  Today  there  are  some  96,000  native 
helpers  in  Protestant  foreign  mission  fields.  The 
service,  whether  in  higher  or  lower  station,  whether 
apostolic  or  diaconal,  clerical  or  lay,  is  a  ministering, 
a  serving.  Compare  verse  4,  "ministry  of  the  Word," 
diaxovia  with  verse  2,  "serve  tables,"  8taxi>vtlv.  — 
V.  8.  Wonderful  gifts  and  powers  of  Stephen,  though 
he  was  not  an  apostle,  but  only  a  deacon.  Lesson : 
(i)  God's  distribution  of  gifts;  (2)  those  who  are 
faithful  in  lower  stations  may  be  advanced  to  higher; 
(3)    spiritual  preparation  the  main  requisite. 


^Meyer,  Commentary  on  the  Acts,  in   loco. 


124  MISSION   STUDIES. 

Chapter  7.  The  first  martyr.  Vv.  1-53.  Ste- 
phen's defense. — Vv.  54-60:  The  fearless  witness. 
Victorious  faith.  Calm  and  joyful  hope  in  death. 
Intercession  for  his  enemies. — The  first  martyr  has 
many  followers  in  the  history  of  the  Church  and  of 
missions.  Examples,  the  martyr  Church  of  Mada- 
gascar and  of  Uganda. 

Chapter  8.  The  first  great  persecution,  (i)  Oc- 
casion for  it :  Jewish  bigotry  against  Stephen.  As  a 
forerunner  of  St.  Paul,  Stephen  had  doubtless  taught 
that  man  is  not  saved  by  the  works  of  the  Law  (ch. 
6,  11),  and  that  God  is  to  be  worshipped  in  spirit  and 
in  truth  everywhere,  not  only  in  the  temple  (ch.  6, 
13;  7,  48-50).  All  this  was  a  preparation  for  mis- 
sion work  among  the  Gentiles,  and  this  was  distasteful 
to  the  Jews.  (2)  Results:  Scattering  of  believers 
through  Judea  and  Samaria,  and  as  far  as  Greece 
(ch.  8,  I.  40;  9,  30;  etc.).  Cf.  2  Thess.  3,  i  (the 
Word  of  the  Lord  may  run  and  be  glorified).  Rise 
of  Christian  congregations,  without  the  direct  inter- 
vention of  the  apostles,  in  Rome,  North  Africa,  Spain 
and  France. 

A  crisis  is  thus  reached  in  the  history  of  the 
Church.  God  overruling  the  wrath  of  man,  the  per- 
secution becomes  a  divine  preparation  for  mission 
work  among  the  Gentiles.  General  outline  of  the  chap- 
ter: The  great  (general)  persecution,  Vv.  1-3;  the 
activity  of  Philip,  the  evangelist,  resulting  in  the  Sa- 
maria mission,  Vv.  4-25 ;  the  Ethiopia  mission,  26-40. 

Verse  4.  Scat<:ered  believers,  preaching.  Their 
flight  no  denial  of  the  faith,  but  a  means  of  witness- 
ing. Laymen  as  preachers, — private  testimony  by 
word  and   deed. — Vv.   5-8.      Siicccss   of   Philip.     Hq 


Ch.    II.  MISSIONARY    FAITHFULNESS.  125 

preached  the  Christ,  the  Messiah,  who  had  Himself 
laid  the  foundation  of  the  work  in  Samaria.  John 
4  (the  field  white  mito  harvest). — Vv.  9-13.  Simon 
the  sorcerer.  A  typical  illustration  of  one  of  the 
fearful  evils  among  the  heathen:  superstition,  igno- 
rance, imposition  and  fraud,  sorcery  and  magic. — V. 
25.  Sowing  the  seed  by  the  way.  "As  we  have  op- 
portunity." Cf.  verse  40.  Itineration,  evangelistic 
tours  in  mission  fields. — V.  26.  Philip  sent  into  a 
"desert," — barren  field.  Contrast  the  hopeful  outlook 
in  Samaria.  Go  whither  the  Lord  calls  you  or  sends 
you.  A  sacred  and  solemn  lesson  for  candidates  of 
theology  and  missionary  candidates. — V.  27.  Ethio- 
pia, northern  Abyssinia,  or  the  present  Nubia.  The 
Eunuch  had  come  to  Jerusalem  to  worship.  He  was 
doubtless  a  proselyte  of  the  gate,^  a  heathen  who  had 
been  partially  won  over  to  the  worship  of  Jehovah. 

Chapter  9.  The  two  great  apostles:  St.  Paul, 
the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles,  in  the  school  of  prepara- 
tion; the  early  stage  of  his  career,  w.  1-31 ;  St.  Peter, 
the  apostle  to  the  Jews,  in  the  midst  of  his  life's  mis- 
sion, vv.  32-43. — Saul's  miraculous  conversion,  vv. 
1-9.  Parallel  accounts,  ch.  22  and  ch.  26. — V.  6. 
What  thou  must  do,  <re  del  Ttoieiv,  what  it  behooves  thee 
to  do.  Not  physical  compulsion,  but  moral  constraint. 
Saul  might  have  resisted  and  refused  to  yield  homage 
and  obedience. 

Practical  lesson  from  Saul's  conversion:  The 
power  of  divine  grace.  Where  sin  abounded,  grace 
did  much  more  abound.  Compare  the  conversion  of 
Augustin.    Encouragement  to  the  pastor  and  mission- 


'Dr.  F.  W.  Stellhorn,  in  the  Lutheran  Commentary,  the 
Acts,  in  loco. 


126  MISSION    STUDIES. 

ary  and  every  Christian  worker:  Hope  and  pray  for 
and  patiently  go  after  the  wayward,  the  backslidden, 
the  fallen,  the  lost. 

Verse  15.  A  chosen  vessel  unto  me.  Cf.  John 
15,  16  C'ye  have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen 
you,"  etc).  A  vessel  of  election,  of  divine  grace  and 
favor:  (i)  To  be  His,  and  (2)  to  become  a  servant 
of  His.  Missionary  thought:  Importance  of  securing 
the  proper  men  for  mission  work.  The  boards  act 
wisely  in  maintaining  high  standards  of  admission  to 
service.^  Do  not  fail  to  recall  and  act  on  the  Savior's 
behest:  *Tray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest, 
that  He  send  forth  laborers  into  His  harvest.''  Matt. 
9,  38. — V.  36.  A  fine  example  of  true  Christianity 
and  the  ministry  of  God-fearing  women.  A  disciple 
(faith) — full  of  good  works   (working  by  love). 

Chapter  10.  The  conversion  of  Cornelius,  the 
Roman  centurion:  His  character  and  events  leading 
to  his  conversion,  vv.  1-23 ;  his  conversion  and  bap- 
tism, vv.  23-48. 

Note  the  epochal  importance  of  chapters  10  and 
II  for  the  continuation  and  progress  of  apostolic  mis- 
sions. Peter's  baptism  of  the  first  heathen,  a  point 
of  transition  to  direct  mission  work  among  the  heathen. 
For  the  preparation  of  the  apostles  for  this  world- 
wide enterprise  there  was  needed,  in  addition  to  the 
missionary  command  of  Christ,  or  rather,  for  its  in- 
terpretation and  full  exposition,  the  removal  of  Jewish 
prejudice  that  clung  even  to  the  apostles.  Peter,  the 
first  missionary  to  the  Gentiles,  introduces  the  work 
for  which  St.  Paul,  in  particular,  has  been  called. 

Verse  17.     Peter  wondering:  the  messengers  at 

^Cf.   The  Foreign  Missionary,  by  A.  J.  Brown,  chap.  IV. 


Ch.    II  ACCEPTABLE    TO    GOD.  127 

the  gate.  Example  of  providential  guidance,  con- 
junction of  inner  suggestion,  spiritual  preparation, 
readiness  on  the  part  of  the  agent,  missionary,  etc., 
and  external  event,  opportunity,  paving  of  the  way, 
opening  of  doors,  etc.  Repeated  in  the  history  of 
missions  in  every  period  and  in  many  fields. — V.  28. 
Not  call  any  man  common  or  unclean, — religiously 
ostracized.  Christian  service  to  the  lowliest  and  low- 
est,— among  the  heathen,  in  slum  work,  rescue  mis- 
sion work.  In  congregational  circles,  too,  social  dif- 
ferences should  be  minimized,  not  magnified  and  fed. 
Verses  34  and  35.  God  no  respecter  of  persons. 
He  regards  the  heart,  not  the  person,  i.  e.,  external 
conditions,  rank,  station,  etc.  Cf.  Jas.  2,  1-9,  on  re- 
spect of  persons.  V.  35.  (i)  Acceptable  to  Him, 
(not  accepted  with  Him,  as  in  the  Authorized  Ver- 
sion)—  dsxTo^  auT  w,  i.  e.,  does  not  need  to  undergo 
circumcision,  etc.,  but  may  be  admitted  directly,  by 
baptism,  into  the  communion  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Acceptable  as  catechumens  and  candidates  for  bap- 
tism. (2)  Who  is  thus  acceptable  to  God?  He  who 
feareth  God  and  worketh  righteousness,  not  in  the 
full  sense  of  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  but  in- 
cipiently,  according  to  the  light  possessed;  the  light 
of  grace  received,  religiously  earnest,  longing  for 
salvation,  hungering  after  righteousness.  Some 
knowledge  of  revealed  truth  necessary  to  this  end. 
A  common  misinterpretation  of  this  text:  As  though 
civic  righteousness  and  religious  earnestness  would 
insure  the  salvation  of  Jew  or  Gentile,  whatever  his 
particular  belief.^  Such  an  interpretation  is  very 
hasty  and  superficial,  in  opposition  to  the  whole  pro- 

*Cf.   Warneck,  Mission  in  der  Schule,  chapter  IV. 


128  MISSION   STUDIES. 

cedure  here  recorded,  as  well  as  to  all  Scripture  and 
the  analogy  of  faith.  But  this  passage,  rightly  inter- 
preted, is  a  pozverful  missionary  text,  a  truth  new  to 
the  Jews  and  to  the  heathen :  Equality  of  all  men  be- 
fore God.     Cf.  Acts  17,  26;  Rom.  2,  11. 

Qiapter  11.  The  spread  of  the  Gospel:  (i)  In 
Jerusalem,  justification  of  the  baptism  of  the  heathen, 
vv.  1-18;  (2)  in  regions  beyond,  the  Church  at  An- 
tioch,  the  first  Christians,  w.  19-30. 

Verses  4-17.  Peter's  account  of  his  dealing  with 
men  uncircumcised,  and  justification.  Make  a  par- 
ticular study  of  this  model  of  an  apology  and  self- 
defense.  Note  Peter's  meekness  and  humility.  He 
does  not  resent  the  questioning  of  his  brethren.  He 
makes  no  appeal  to  his  apostolic  dignity.  There  is  in 
his  conduct  graceful  recognition  of  the  rights  of  the 
brethren,  even  when  they  are  in  the  wrong.  A  most 
important  lesson  for  the  minister  and  missionary: 
Try  to  eliminate  oversensitiveness.  Accept  rebuke  and 
correction.  Cultivate  calmness  and  consideration  in 
rebuttal.  Notice  the  source  and  secret  of  Peter's  firm- 
ness and  decision.  Who  was  I — as  against  God  ?  The 
Lord  has  spoken — (in  the  vision;  by  direct  behest  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  v.  12 ;  in  deed  and  truth  in  the  house 
of  Cornelius) — that  is  final.  That  was  the  secret  of 
Luther's  "stubbornness"  at  Marburg,  when,  in  his 
controversy  with  Zwingli,  he  wrote  on  the  table  the 
words  of  Christ:  "This  is  my  body." 

Verses  19-21.  Lay  mission  work  and  its  results. 
Jewish  Christians  "preaching"  and  testifying  to  Jews ; 
Gentile  Christians,  Hellenists,  speaking  to  Greeks,  or 
Grecian  Jews ; — work  for  which  each  one  was  spe- 
cially adapted  and  fitted. — V.  25.     Barnabas  was  in- 


Ch.  II.         SECOND  PART  OF  ACTS.  129 

strumental  in  starting  Paul  upon  his  career  as  the  di- 
vinely chosen  missionary  and  apostle  to  the  Gentiles. 
Note  the  pure-mindedness,  the  artlessness,  the  lofty 
spirit  of  Barnabas  in  so  doing.  Though  Saul  should 
surpass  him  in  gifts  and  performance,  there  is  no 
selfish  interest,  suspicion,  or  carnal  rivalry. 

Chapter  12.  Herod  Agrippa  I. :  His  persecution 
of  the  apostles,  vv.  1-19;  his  ignominious  end,  vv. 
20-25. 

V.  5.  Peter  therefore  was  kept  in  prison  (cf. 
V.  4,  Herod  intending, — hut  prayer  was  made. 
Striking  and  instructive  contrast.  Man  proposes,  but 
God  disposes ;  men  plan  and  plot,  but  the  Lord  reigns 
and  is  not  mocked.  Was  there  a  connection  between 
these  earnest  and  importunate  prayers  of  the  Church 
and  Peter's  miraculous  deliverance?  In  the  light  of 
Scripture,  and  church  and  missionary  history,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  about  it,  though  not  expressly  stated 
in  the  text.  Study  James  5,  16  and  related  passages 
on  the  efficiency  of  Christian  prayer.  Contemplate 
the  experience  and  work  of  such  men  as  Louis  Harms, 
the  Lutheran  pastor  in  the  Lueneburg  heath,  Goss- 
ner  of  BerHn,  George  Mueller  of  Bristol,  Loehe  of 
Neuendettelsau,  and  many  others, — men  of  prayer 
and  of  power.^ 

Second  part.  Ch.  13-28.  Spreading  of  the  Gospel 
among  the  Gentiles. 

First  missionary  tour,  ch.  13,  2  —  14,  28.  From 
Antioch  to  Seleucia,  Salamis,  Paphos,  Perga,  Antioch 


^Read,  on  this  general  topic,  Dr.  A.  C.  Thompson's  fine 
lecture  (VIII.)  on  "Prayer  for  missions  answered,"  in  his 
Foreign  Missions.  Cf.  also  a  chapter  on  "Answers  to 
prayer"  in  the   New   Acts   of   the   Apostles,   Pierson,   p.   352. 


130  MISSION    STUDIES. 

in  Pisidia,   Iconium,  Lystra,   Derbe,  and  back  to  the 
home  church.    Duration,  a  little  more  than  a  year. 

Chapter  13.  Vv.  1-4.  Missionaries  prepared  and 
sent  forth.  Sent  forth  by  the  congregation,  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  supported  by  a  praying 
church.  Favorable  conditions  for  successful  mission 
work.^ — V.  5.  The  mission  fields  selected  and  opened 
are  the  commercial  centers,  the  cities.  From  these 
centers  the  Gospel  spread  to  the  regions  round  about. 
Cf.  ch.  15,  49;  19,  10.  In  the  selection  of  fields  the 
apostles  were  guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Cf.  Acts 
16,  6-9.  The  ''geographical  plan"  of  missions,  as  in- 
dicated by  the  Lord  in  providence  and  by  special  revela- 
tion, included  such  centers  as  Antioch,  the  capital  of 
Syria,  Philippi,  the  chief  city  of  Macedonia,  Corinth, 
the  capital  of  Achaia,  Ephesus,  the  capital  of  Pro- 
consular Asia,  and  Rome,  the  capital  of  the  Empire.^ 
—  The  means,  relied  on  for  success,  is  the  Word  of 
God,  and  at  first  the  preached  Word.  Contrast  this 
with  methods  that  came  into  vogue  in  later  ages ;  fire 
and  sword  of  the  Mohammedan  invasion,  and  the 
carnal,  superficial  and  violent  methods  of  Romish  mis- 
sions. —  The  preaching  stations  were  often  supplied 
by  the  synagogues.  A  great  advantage.  Indication 
and  evidence  of  God's  providence  and  care. — V.  6. 
Opposition  at  the  very  outset,  and  so,  without  excep- 
tion, throughout  the  history  of  missions.  Cf.  i  Cor. 
16,  9 :  "A  great  door  and  effectual,"  —  "many  ad- 
versaries." Such  conflict  and  labor  call  for  men  of 
God  who  are  fearless,  men  of  courage  and  indomitable 
perseverance.       Many    examples    in    the    history    of 

*  See  Note  5  in  the  Appendix.  '  Apostolic  and  Modern 
Missions,  by  Martin,  p  140. 


Ch.    II.  IN   THE   lord's   hand.  131 

modem  missions.^  Vv.  33  and  37.  In  preaching  to 
Jews  St.  Paul  draws  from  the  Scriptures  the  proof 
that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  the  Messiah  promised  by 
the  prophets.  His  method  is  different  when  he 
preaches  to  Gentiles.  Cf.  ch.  14,  15  ff ;  17,  22  ff.  In 
this  case  he  preaches  concerning  God,  the  Creator,  of 
the  true  worship,  the  one  way  of  salvation,  etc. — Vv. 
50  and  51.  These  missionaries  moved,  bore  persecu- 
tion or  fled,  as  duty  dictated.^    Cf.  ch.  14,  5 ;  9,  25. 

Chapter  14.  Continuation  and  end  of  the  first 
missionary  tour.  Work  in  Iconium,  vv.  1-7;  at 
Lystra,  8-20;  close  of  the  itineration,  20-26.  —  V.  21. 
Return  through  the  cities  where  they  had  been  perse- 
cuted. Example  of  faith,  courage  and  enduring  love, 
repeated  in  the  lives  of  many  later  missionaries.  Their 
sole  reliance  here,  and  everywhere,  was  the  Gospel. 
They  had  no  other  advantages,  social,  educational, 
philanthropic,  to  offer.  —  V.  2^.  The  first  missionary 
report.  A  characteristic  model.  They  reported  (i) 
what  God  had  done,  "with  them,"  through  them  as 
agents,  from  Him  all  power,  all  success,  to  Him  all 
glory;  and  (2)  how  much  God  had  done.  The  re- 
sults, small  apparently,  are  full  of  promise,  for  they 
are  the  beginnings,  the  laying  of  foundations,  etc.  So 
in  all  missionary  undertakings. 


^  For  example,  Ramseyer,  the  Basel  missionary  at  Ku- 
massie,  the  capital  of  Ashanti;  and  John  G.  Paton  in  the 
New  Hebrides.  'An  application  to  present  conditions:  "If 
missionaries  in  China  could  do  no  good  by  staying  in  interior 
towns  during  the  Boxer  troubles,  and  only  imperilled  the 
Chinese  converts  by  remaining,  it  was  their  duty,  following 
Paul's  example,  to  leave."  Speer's  Missionary  Principles  and 
Practice,  p.  262. 


132  MISSION   STUDIES. 

Chapter  15.  The  deputation  to  Jerusalem  and  con- 
ference of  the  church.  Vv.  1-5.  The  momentous 
question  :  Moses  or  Christ  ?  It  involved,  among  other 
things,  the  missionary  question,  whether  Christianity 
was  to  become  the  universal  religion  which  it  was  de- 
signed to  be,  or  whether  it  was  to  remain  a  Jewish  sect. 

Second  missionary  tour,  ch.  15,  36 — 18,  22. 
Through  Syria  and  Cilicia,  Derbe  and  Lystra,  Phrygia 
and  Galatia,  Troas,  —  over  into  Macedonia,  Neapolis, 
Philippi,  Amphipolis  and  Appolonia,  Thessalonica, 
Beroea,  Athens,  Corinth  (here  St.  Paul  remained  a 
year  and  a  half  and  wrote  I  and  II  Thessalonians), 
Ephesus,  Caesarea,  Jerusalem,  and  back  to  Antioch. 
Duration,  a  little  less  than  three  years. 

Chapter  16.  Verses  1-3.  The  task  of  training 
helpers  and  fellow  workers.  Here  Timothy;  later 
Silas  (ch.  15,  40),  then  Luke  (16,  10).  Besides  ap- 
pointing elders  in  the  churches,  the  apostles  prepared 
young  men  for  the  mission  service.  A  large  number, 
over  30  in  all,  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament.  At 
one  time  St.  Paul  had  seven  in  his  company  (Acts 
20,  4)  —  "a  peripatetic  missionary  seminary,"  Dr. 
Warneck  calls  it.  The  training  of  native  helpers  is 
a  very  important  feature  of  mission  work.  —  Verses 
6-10.  Providential  intervention.  The  guidance  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  the  obedience  of  the  apostles.  The 
history  of  missions  is  full  of  instances  of  providential 
guidance  and  intervention.  For  example,  in  spite  of 
the  vehement  desire  and  prolonged  efforts  of  Louis 
Harms  to  begin  work  among  the  Gallas,  the  mission- 
aries were  deflected  to  South  Africa,  and  their  work 
among  the  Zulus  and  the  Bechuanas  has  been  richly 
blest.     Judson  meant  to  labor  in  India,  and  actually 


Ch.    II.  THE    MACEDONIAN    CRY.  133 

arrived  at  Calcutta,  but  his  course  was  changed,  and 
he  became  the  "apostle  of  Burma."  Livingstone 
wished  to  devote  his  life  to  China,  but  through  the 
intervention  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  he  was 
sent  to  Africa  and  became  the  great  explorer  and  one 
of  the  most  inspiring  pioneer  missionaries  of  the  Dark 
Continent.  —  V.  9.  The  Macedonian  cry.  It  comes 
to  us  Christians  not  only,  nor  always,  as  conscious 
longing  for  salvation,  but  oftener  and  constantly  in 
the  mute  form  of  heathen  wretchedness  and  woe,  and 
of  the  bodily  and  spiritual  ravages  of  sin  in  our  own 
land,  —  a  cry  all  the  more  pitiful  and  pathetic  because 
it  is  dumb.  —  Verses  11 -15.  The  beginning  of  Euro- 
pean missions.  The  first  mission  station,  PhiHppi. 
The  first  Christian,  Lydia.  Note  two  principal  mis- 
sionary thoughts  :  ( I )  We  cannot  expect  baptisms 
to  ensue  so  quickly  in  mission  fields  today,  (cf.  verse 
33),  —  conditions  are  entirely  different;  a  longer 
course  of  thorough  Christian  instruction  required; 
(2)  the  relation  of  woman  to  Christian  missions;  her 
emancipation  in  heathendom  from  slavery  and  degra- 
dation, and  her  singular  devotion  to  the  service  of 
Christ  who  has  redeemed  her,  —  Verses  37-39.  Paul's 
appeal  to  his  rights  of  Roman  citizenship.  The  mes- 
sengers of  the  Prince  of  peace,  like  other  citizens, 
have  a  just  claim  upon  the  protection  of  "the  powers 
that  be."  Missionaries  must  be  ready  to  suffer  in- 
nocently, to  endure  much  in  silence,  but  they  are  not 
bound  to  suffer  every  wrong  and  injustice  without 
protest.  They  may  use  their  political  rights  for  their 
defense,  when  such  defense,  as  in  the  case  of  Paul,  is 
advantageous  to  the  cause  of  the  Gospel. 

Chapter   17.     Labors  of   the  apostle   at   Thessa- 


134  MISSION   STUDIES. 

lonica,  vv.  1-9;  the  Christians  at  Beroea,  10-15;  Paul 
at  Athens,  16-34.  Verse  3.  The  heart  and  soul,  the 
central  theme,  of  apostolic  preaching  and  testimony : 
Jesus,  the  crucified  and  risen  One,  is  the  Christ,  the 
promised  Messiah,  the  Savior  of  the  world,  —  a  pro- 
found truth  which  is  a  rock  of  offense,  a  stone  of 
stumbHng,  to  the  natural  man.  —  V.  11.  Exemplary 
conduct  of  the  Berceans  in  regard  to  the  use  of  the 
Word  of  God.  Vv.  16-34.  Paul's  experience  and 
labors  at  Athens,  i  Cor.  i,  23  would  be  a  good  theme 
for  this  section.  Compare  Luther's  experience  as 
monk  on  his  visit  to  Rome,  and  Calvin  in  Paris. — Vv. 
22-31.  Paul's  masterly  address.  Many  points  of 
interest  for  careful  study.  His  conciliatory  re- 
cognition of  the  religious  seeking  and  groping  of 
heathenism,  by  way  of  introduction,  22  and  23 ;  the 
one  God,  the  Creator,  a  Spirit,  —  in  contrast  with  the 
idol  temples  of  the  city,  24  and  25 ;  the  unity  and 
equality  of  mankind,  having  a  common  origin,  are 
bound  together  by  ties  of  natural  brotherhood,  and 
are  all  under  the  sovereign  rule  of  God  —  truths  alto- 
gether new  and  strange  to  the  heathen,  26-29 ;  the  one 
way  of  salvation,  repentance  and  faith,  30  and  31. — 
Verses  32-34.  Small  fruitage,  but  not  altogether  fruit- 
less.    God's  Word  will  not  return  void. 

Chapter  18,  1-22.  Close  of  the  second  missionary 
tour.  Mission  work  begun  in  Corinth.  Even  more 
discouraging  outlook  than  at  Athens,  but  the  apostle 
is  encouraged  by  divine  promise  to  persevere. 

Third  missionary  tour,  ch.  18,  23 — 21,  14  (ar- 
rival at  Ciesarea.)  The  tour  includes:  Galatia 
Phrygia,  Ephesus  (here  two  years,  and  St.  Paul  wrote 
his  epistle  to  the  Galatians  and  i  Cor.),  Troas,  Mace- 


Ch.  II.  Paul's  farewell  address.  135 

donia,  Greece,  (three  months,  epistle  to  the  Romans), 
Miletus,  Patara,  Tyre,  Csesarea,  Jerusalem.  Dura- 
tion nearly  four  years.  St.  Paul  meets  ApoUos,  whose 
growth  in  grace  and  efficient  service  is  described. 

Chapter  19.  Paul's  labors  in  Ephesus  described 
at  some  length.  Marked  success,  verses  17-20,  and 
2^.  Opposition  of  those  whose  traffic  in  idol  shrines 
seemed  to  be  threatened  by  the  new  doctrine.  This 
experience  has  been  frequently  repeated  in  the  his- 
tory of  missions.  For  example,  godless  traders  in 
seaports  and  the  South  Sea  Islands,  various  colonial 
governments,  as  for  instance,  King  Leopold  and  Bel- 
gium in  the  Congo  Free  State,  and  the  recent  en- 
croachments of  the  French  upon  the  rights  of  the 
mission  churches  in  Madagascar. 

Chapter  20.  Continuation  of  the  third  mission- 
ary tour.  Verses  17-35.  St.  Paul's  farewell  address 
to  the  elders  of  the  church  at  Ephesus.  Affords 
glimpses  into  the  personal  life  and  faith  of  the  apostle 
as  well  as  his  missionary  principles  and  methods.  Dr. 
Warneck  calls  it  "his  missionary  will  and  testament." 
Gerok  says  it  is  "a  golden  mirror  for  all  pastors  and 
teachers  in  the  service  of  the  Gospel."'  V.  19.  All  low- 
liness of  mind.  One  of  the  most  important  of  all  the 
qualifications  of  the  minister  and  missionary. — V.  25. 
Thoughts  of  the  end  make  earnest,  zealous  workmen. 
"As  a  dying  man  to  dying  men."  Before  the  night 
Cometh,  when  no  man  can  work.  The  King's  business 
requireth  haste.  Woe  to  the  leader  who  is  at  ease  in 
Zion  !  —  Vv.  36-38.  Touching  farewell  on  the  coast. 
Many  exam.ples  in  later  missionary  history.  For  ex- 
ample, John  Williams,  the  apostle  of  the  South  Sea 
Islands,  at  Raratonga,  in  1830. 


136  MISSION    STUDIES. 

Chapter  21.  Close  of  Paul's  third  itineration. 
From  Miletus  to  Tyre,  then  to  Csesarea,  1-14.  The 
account  closes  at  this  point  with  a  word  that  is  full  of 
significance  in  the  Christian  life  and  in  mission  work : 
'The  will  of  the  Lord  be  done." 

Chapter  21,  15-40.  Paul's  last  journey  to  Jeru- 
salem, and  his  imprisonment.  V.  19.  Another  mis- 
sionary report,  telling  of  the  work  of  God  among  the 
Gentiles.    Cf.  eh.  20,  24 ;  14,  2.J. 

Chapters  22  and  23.  Paul  a  prisoner  in  Jeru- 
salem. Ch.  22  records  his  address  to  the  people,  his 
defense,  as  he  calls  it,  vv.  1-21.  He  narrates  the  cir- 
cumstances of  his  conversion  and  divine  call  to  be  an 
apostle  to  the  Gentiles.  The  result  is  that  the  Jews 
become  enraged  and  clamor  for  his  death.  He  is 
taken  by  the  tribune  to  the  barracks  of  the  castle  An- 
tonia,  and  there  his  Roman  citizenship  saves  him  from 
the  scourge,  vv.  22-29.  —  ^^  c^-  ^3  ^^  ^^^  Paul  be- 
fore the  Sanhedrim  or  High  Council  of  the  Jewish 
nation,  where  his  remarks  create  a  great  dissension  be- 
tween the  Sadducees  and  the  Pharisees  who  composed 
the  Council,  vv.  i-io.  The  night  following  the  Lord 
appeared  to  Paul,  bidding  him  to  be  of  good  cheer  and 
telling  him  that  his  heart's  desire  (ch.  19,  21)  to  bear 
witness  of  Christ  at  Rome  shall  be  fulfilled.  The  ac- 
count of  the  Jews'  plot  to  kill  Paul,  of  how  it  is 
thwarted,  and  of  his  arrival  at  Caesarea,  concludes 
this  chapter. 

Chapters  24,  25  and  26  describe  events  occurring 
during  St.  Paul's  two  years'  imprisonment  at  Caesa- 
rea.  This  interim  of  comparative  idleness  and  cessa- 
tion of  missionary  operations  must  have  tried  the 
apostle's  patience,  though  he  embraced  every  oppor- 


Ch.    II.  A    FAITHFUL    WITNESS.  137 

tunity  to  bear  witness  of  Christ  and  win  converts  for 
Him.  Such  seasons  of  rest  and  withdrawal  from  the 
stirring  scenes  of  Hfe's  toil  and  turmoil  serve  to  test, 
develop  and  strengthen  the  Lord's  servants.  Other 
examples :  Joseph  in  prison ;  Moses  in  Midian ;  Elijah 
in  the  desert ;  John  the  Baptist  in  prison ;  Luther  at 
the  Wartburg. 

There  are  many  points  of  interest,  full  of  mis- 
sionary ideas  and  suggestions,  that  we  can  barely  men- 
tion. In  chapter  24,  the  base  accusation  of  the  Jews, 
led  by  the  high  priest,  vv.  1-9;  Paul's  defense,  10-21, 
a  model  of  suavity  and  moderation,  a  good  confession 
of  faith ;  the  adjournment  of  the  hearing  and  private 
interviews  with  Paul  on  the  part  of  the  governor.  In 
chapter  25  we  have  the  account  of  Paul's  first  hearing 
before  the  new  governor,  Porcius  Festus,  who  is  eager 
to  gain  favor  with  the  Jews,  vv.  1-12;  of  another 
hearing  in  the  presence  of  King  Herod  Agrippa  II, 
who  paid  a  visit  to  Festus,  15-27.  Chapter  26  records 
Paul's  defense  before  Agrippa,  in  which  he  narrates 
the  course  of  his  life  prior  to  his  conversion,  vv.  2-1 1, 
his  conversion  and  call,  12-18,  and  his  career  as  apostle 
to  the  Gentiles,  19-23.  Paul's  earnest  address  before 
Festus  and  Agrippa  seems  to  have  made  no  lasting  im- 
pression on  these  worldlings ;  it  was  met  by  a  personal 
insinuation  on  the  part  of  the  one,  and  a  polite  evasion 
on  the  part  of  the  other,  24-32. 

Chapters  27  and  28  describe  St.  Paul's  journey  to 
Rome.  During  the  storm  and  shipwreck,  Paul's  faith 
and  fearlessness  contrasted  strikingly  with  the  fright 
and  helplessness  of  those  about  him.  The  Christian 
missionary  must  have  made  an  indelible  impression  on 
them. 


138  MISSION    STUDIES. 

The  great  apostle's  last,  powerful  sermon  to  his 
own  countrymen,  chief  men  among  the  Jews,  is  re- 
corded in  ch.  28,  23-28.  It  was  a  faithful,  fervent 
portrayal  of  Christ  crucified  and  a  plea  for  repentance 
and  faith,  that  He  might  become  their  possession. 
Faithful  to  his  special  mission,  he  refers,  in  conclu- 
sion, V.  28,  to  the  work  of  the  Gospel  among  the 
Gentiles,  to  whom  it  will  not  be  preached  in  vain. 
The  entire  history  of  missions  is  an  illustration  and 
a  vindication  of  the  prophecy. 

The  prisoner  was  not  idle  during  the  two  years  of 
his  rather  mild  form  of  incarceration.  His  missionary 
activity  reached  out  to  the  Christians  and  the  heathen 
in  the  metropolis.  The  message  of  Christ  penetrated 
even  into  the  imperial  circles.  (Phil,  i,  13.)  In  ad- 
dition to  this  oral  testimony  the  apostle  was  also  en- 
gaged in  literary  activity,  carrying  on  mission  v/ork 
by  correspondence.  During  this  time  he  wrote  his  let- 
ters to  the  Colossians,  Ephesians,  Philippians,  and  to 
Philemon. 

Whether  the  earthly  career  of  the  great  apostle 
to  the  Gentiles  ended  with  this  imprisonment  at  Rome, 
or  whether,  having  been  set  free  after  two  years,  he 
made  another  missionary  tour,  as  tradition  tells,  to 
Spain,  is  still  a  debated  question  among  scholars.  The 
book  would  end  abruptly  in  either  case.  The  mis- 
sionary narrative  is  continued  in  the  history  of  post- 
apostolic,  medieval  and  modern  missions.^ 


^For  a  connected  study  of  the  character  and  missionary 
career  of  St.  Paul,  consult  the  suggestive  sketch  by  Dr.  War- 
neck,  in  Mission  in  der  Schule,  at  the  close  of  chapter  IV. 
Also  the  helpful  outline  by  Prof.  Beach  in  his  New  Testa- 
ment  Studies  in  Missions.     See  Note  6  in  the  Appendix. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

THE  DOGMATICAL  AND  ETHICAL  GROUND. 

I.     Meaning  and   significance  of   this    ground. 

It  might  seem  as  though  the  true  ground  of  missions 
had  been  fully  given  in  the  preceding  chapters,  and 
that  the  Scripture  ground  is  all-sufficient  as  the  en- 
during basis  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  And  in  a 
sense  this  is  true.  The  Scripture  ground  includes 
everything  else  that  can  be  mentioned  as  properly  be- 
longing to  the  topic.  But  there  is  an  advantage  in 
show^ing  something  of  what  is  involved  and  in  making 
some  further  amplification  and  application  of  the  mis- 
sionary thoughts  of  the  Scriptures.  The  missionary 
thoughts  that  are  expressly  stated  in  the  passages  that 
have  been  examined,  and  many  others,  bear  upon  the 
life  and  development  of  the  Church  in  various  direc- 
tions. To  point  out  some  of  these  applications  is  the 
purpose  of  the  remaining  chapters  of  this  section. 

In  the  present  chapter  we  speak  of  the  mission- 
ary basis  from  a  doctrinal  and  ethical  point  of  view. 
Christian  doctrine  and  Christian  duty  are  very  import- 
ant factors  in  the  ground  of  the  missionary  enter- 
prise. The  object  here  is  to  show  in  the  light  of 
Scripture  the  universal  trend  and  intent  of  the  doc- 
trines of  salvation  and  of  corresponding  Christian 
duty.  And  when  it  appears  that  these-  doctrines  and 
duties  have  a  bearing  upon  the  whole  human  race, 
that  the  redemption  in  which  the  Christian  rejoices 
has  been  wrought  out  for  all  men,  that  according  to 
God's  gracious  counsel  and  will  the  good  tidings  of 

(139) 


140  MISSION   STUDIES. 

salvation  are  to  be  communicated  to  all  mankind,  that 
there  is  no  other  way  in  which  they  can  be  saved,  and 
that  all  this  is  involved  in  the  very  nature  of  Chris- 
tianity as  revealed  in  the  Scriptures,  the  missionary 
ground  and  motives  involved  become  clear. 

According  to  the  Word  of  God  the  Christian  re- 
ligion has  a  universal  character,  a  breadth  and  scope, 
a  sweep  and  destiny,  such  as  attaches  to  no  other  re- 
ligion. Even  those  non-Christian  religions  which, 
like  Mohammedanism  and  Buddhism,  have  exhibited 
a  kind  of  missionary  character,  lack  the  very  essential 
elements  which  make  Christianity  the  absolute  and 
final  religion  for  all  mankind,  and  hence  the  world- 
wide missionary  religion.^  Christianity  has  lost  its 
essential  character,  and  Christians  have  ceased  to  be 
such  except  in  name,  when  they  have  lost  faith  in  the 
Bible  as  the  perfect,  the  only  adequate,  and  the  com- 
pleted revelation  of  God  touching  the  salvation  of 
mankind. 

Because  of  the  world-embracing  character  of  the 
divine  revelation,  the  Gospel  is  a  missionary  power, 
and  Christianity  is  a  missionary  religion.  The  truth 
that  there  is  salvation  from  sin  and  death  in  none 
other  but  Christ  (Acts  4,  12)  is  not  an  incidental  at- 
tachment, but  an  essential  element  of  the  Gospel.  Ac- 
cordingly the  Christian  religion  must  be  intended  for 
all  mankind,  and  Christianity  is  required,  in  accord- 
ance with  its  very  nature,  to  carry  on  a  world-wide 
missionary  enterprise.  And  hence  it  is  that  the  Gos- 
pel of  Christ  contains  a  missionary  command  that 
lays  this  obligation  as  a  sacred  heritage,  a  royal  priv- 
ilege, upon  the  Church.     The  last  command  of  Christ 

'Cf.  Warneck,  Missionslehre  I,  p.  82ff, 


Ch.    12.  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  GOD.  141 

may  be  said  to  be  one  of  the  leading  missionary  mo- 
tives. But  to  be  really  effective,  in  the  spirit  of  the 
Gospel,  it  must  be  rightly  understood  in  its  setting  in 
the  Gospel  and  its  place  in  the  Christian  life.  It  is 
sometimes  unwisely  urged  as  a  motive,  in  a  legalistic 
spirit  that  is  quite  opposed  to  the  Gospel. 

The  "marching  orders"  abide  in  full  force  not  as 
an  optional  thing,  a  matter  of  preference  or  indiffer- 
ence, but  as  a  royal  command,  the  behest  of  the  Cap- 
tain of  our  salvation.  But  they  are  given  to  disci- 
ples who  have  *'the  mind  of  Christ."  These  disciples, 
in  possession  of  the  riches  of  Christ,  have  within  their 
hearts  the  desire  and  impulse  to  bear  witness  of 
Christ.  This  is,  after  all,  the  telling,  the  true  and  re- 
liable motive.  In  other  words,  the  Gospel  is  a  mis- 
sionary power  and  would  impel  to  mission  work,  even 
though  Christ  had  not  given  the  explicit  missionary 
command.  The  fact  that  He,  the  great  Teacher,  gave 
the  command,  shows  that  it  is  not  superfluous.  Chris- 
tians need  it  in  order  to  understand  more  fully  the 
Lord's  will  and  because  of  the  infirmities  of  the  flesh. 

With  this  general  explanation  of  the  import  and 
intent  of  what  we  call  the  dogmatical  and  ethical 
ground  of  missions  we  are  prepared  to  examine  some 
particular  doctrines  by  way  of  illustration. 

2.  Some  of  the  leading  doctrines.  The  force 
of  the  argument  may  become  clearer  when  the  thought 
is  applied  to  special  doctrines. 

a.  The  doctrine  of  God.  According  to  Scrip- 
ture there  is  only  one  God,  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Ghost ;  one  in  essence,  three  in  persons ;  unity  in 
trinity,  and  trinity  in  unity.  As  such  He  has  revealed 
Himself  in  His  Word.     In  nature  He  has  revealed 


142  MISSION    STUDIES. 

Himself  as  a  God  of  power  and  wisdom ;  but  in  Scrip- 
ture He  has  revealed  Himself  as  the  God  of  grace  and 
salvation.  This  doctrine  of  the  Godhead  excludes  and 
condemns  all  idolatry,  polytheism,  fetichism,  atheism, 
as  well  as  all  modern  denials  of  the  Trinity,  as  Uni- 
tarianism,  and  the  like. 

Now,  the  argument,  on  the  basis  of  the  Scrip- 
tural doctrine  of  God,  is  this :  There  is  one  God.  He 
only  is  the  true  and  living  God,  and  His  glory  will 
He  not  give  to  any  other,  to  any  creature.  As  God 
He  is  to  be  worshiped ;  and  He  only  is  to  be  acknowl- 
edged, to  be  worshiped  and  served  as  God.  All 
created  things  are  intended  to  glorify  Him,  as  St. 
Paul  declares:  *'For  of  Him,  and  through  Him,  and 
to  Him,  are  all  things;  to  whom  be  glory  forever." 
Rom.  II,  36.  In  the  work  of  creation,  as  well  as  in 
the  work  of  redemption  and  of  sanctification,  He  has 
revealed  Himself  as  a  God  of  love  and  mercy.  To 
restore  His  fallen  creatures  to  their  original  estate  of 
holiness  and  blessedness,  to  bring  them  back  to  com- 
munion and  fellowship  with  Him,  this  purpose  of 
grace  is  implied  in  God's  nature,  will  and  work,  as 
declared  in  Holy  Scripture.  The  missionary  force  of 
the  truth  lies  on  the  surface. 

b.  The  doctrine  of  sin.  This  doctrine  is  not 
popular  today.  It  is  practically  ruled  out  of  con- 
sideration from  many  pulpits  and  churches.  But  these 
only  add  their  testimony  to  the  prevalence  and  the 
fearful  ravages  of  sin.  All  men  have  sinned  and 
come  short  of  the  glory  of  God.  Sin  is  in  the  world, 
and  death  by  sin.  Without  the  Gospel  of  the  grace 
of  God  mankind  is  involved  in  helpless,  hopeless  ruin. 
Those  who  laugh  at  this  doctrine  as  old  fogyism,  an 


Ch.    12.  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  SIN.  143 

exploded  theory  of  antiquity,  see  no  need  of  missions 
and  have  no  use  for  them.  That  is  as  natural  as  it 
is  pitiable.  But  those  who  believe  the  Biblical  doc- 
trine of  sin,  and  have  themselves  been  saved  by  grace, 
are  bound  and  impelled,  in  proportion  to  the  reality 
and  the  intensity  of  their  conviction  and  experience, 
to  extend  a  helping  hand  to  those  who  are  perishing 
in  sin. 

There  are  those  who  endeavor  to  minimize  the 
faults  and  evils  of  heathenism  and  to  magnify  the  vir- 
tues of  their  religions  and  their  ethical  and  philo- 
sophical systems.  It  is  a  fruitless  and  a  thankless 
task.  The  testimony  of  trustworthy  witnesses,  Chris- 
tian scholars,  missionaries,  travelers,  and  officials,  to 
the  evils  of  heathenism  and  the  insufficiency  and 
failure  of  all  non-Christian  religions  is  convincing  and 
overwhelming.  To  give  but  a  single  one  out  of  hun- 
dreds, note  what  John  R.  Mott  says  on  the  basis  of 
his  own  extended  observation :  ''The  need  of  the 
non-Christian  world  is  indescribably  great.  *  *  * 
See  under  what  a  burden  of  sin  and  sorrow  and  suf- 
fering they  live.  Can  any  candid  person  doubt  the 
reality  of  the  awful  need  after  reviewing  the  masterly, 
scientific  survey  by  Dr.  Dennis  of  the  social  evils  of  the 
non-Christian  world?  No  one  who  has  seen  the  ac- 
tual conditions  can  question  that  they  who  are  with- 
out God  are  also  without  hope."^  "Having  no  hope, 
and  without  God  in  the  world."      Eph.  2,  12.     Those 


^  The  Evangelization  of  the  World  in  this  Generation, 
p.  17.  Cf.  Christian  Missions  and  Social  Progress,  by  Den- 
nis, Vol.  I;  Non-Christian  Religions  of  the  World,  papers 
by  Muir,  Legge,  and  others ;  and  Religions  of  Mission  Fields 
as   viewed  by   Missionaries. 


144  MISSION    STUDIES. 

to  whom  this  is  a  true  description  of  heathenism  will 
be  impelled  to  activity  by  the  missionary  motive  that 
filled  the  heart  of  Christ  when  He  said :  '*I  have 
compassion  on  the  multitude,  because  they  are  as 
sheep  having  no  shepherd." 

c.  The  doctrine  &f  Christ.  "There  is  one  God 
and  one  Mediator  between  God  and  men,  the  man 
Christ  Jesus."  i  Tim.  2,  5.  This  is  a  strong  and 
convincing  argument  that  St.  Paul  makes  in  this  pas- 
sage and  elsewhere:  One  God — one  Mediator — one 
salvation.  'There  is  none  other  Name."  The  Word 
of  the  cross  is  of  universal  import  and  efifect.  Christ 
"gave  Himself  a  ransom  for  all,  to  be  testified  in  due 
time."  I  Tim.  2,  6.  Because  His  death  on  the  cross 
was  vicarious  and  had  the  power  of  universal  atone- 
ment, therefore  the  preaching  of  the  cross,  the  Gos- 
pel, is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  and  the  effi- 
cient means  of  conquering  the  world  for  Christ. 
"Christ  for  all  the  world"  is  an  old  motto  and  watch- 
word that  is  still  true,  and  still  to  be  read  forward 
and  backward. 

d.  The  doctrine  of  justification  by  faith.  The 
apostoHc  doctrine  of  grace  and  salvation  excludes 
works  from  the  justification  of  the  sinner.  By  faith, 
"not  of  works."  Believe  in  Christ  as  Savior  and 
Lord.  Accept  Him  by  faith.  That  is  the  one  way 
of  salvation  for  all  men,  of  whatever  station,  color, 
condition,  language  or  nationality.  There  is  no  dis- 
tinction of  sex  either.  Men  and  women  are  admitted 
into  the  kingdom  of  Christ  on  the  same  terms.  There 
is  no  caste  spirit  in  the  Christianity  of  the  Gospel.  It 
knows  of  no  such  subordination  of  woman  as  is  com- 
mon among  the  heathen.     All  the  barriers  that  count 


Ch.    12.  JUSTIFICATION    BY    FAITH.  145 

for  SO  much  in  this  world's  work, — birth  and  position, 
culture  and  wealth,  and  the  like — are  entirely  set  aside 
when  it  comes  to  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ, 
which  is  not  of  this  world.  Those  who  are  widely  sep- 
arated by  these  barriers  in  the  affairs  of  the  world 
are  "one  in  Christ.'' 

The  condition  of  admission  is  one  that  can,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  be  rendered  by  men  of  any  earthly 
station  or  condition.  Saving  faith  has  been  wrought 
in  the  cannibal  islanders  of  the  South  Seas,  the  Fue- 
gians,  the  Dahomians,  and  the  Maori.  Wealth  and 
culture,  great  intelligence  and  extensive  knowledge, 
are  not  required,  but  simply  faith  in  Him  who  said, 
"And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all 
men  unto  me.''  John  12,  32.  It  is  one  of  the  marvels 
of  grace  that  the  power  of  the  Gospel  is  able  to  reach 
down  and  raise  up  even  those  who  are  lowest  in  the 
social  and  moral  scale  of  humanity.  All  men  in  need 
of  salvation, — all  men  capable  of  being  saved  through 
grace  by  faith.  This  is  a  potent  missionary  thought, 
embedded  in  the  very  heart  of  the  Gospel  and  the 
central  doctrine  of  the  way  of  salvation,  and  underly- 
ing and  impelling  to  the  missionary  enterprise. 

For  faith  is  a  mighty  force.  It  "worketh  by 
love/'  Saving  faith  is  not  a  mere  sentiment,  an  opin- 
ion. Having  received  the  grace  of  God  and  embraced 
Christ  as  Redeemer,  it  is  a  power  in  the  heart  and  life 
of  the  Christian.  Saving  faith  is  fruitful  in  good 
works.  Here  the  ethical  feature  of  the  missionary 
basis  becomes  especially  prominent.  Christian  faith 
imposes  a  duty  that  Christian  love  carries  out  and 
performs.  ''We  love  Him,  because  He  first  loved 
us/'    "If  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandrnents.''   The 


146  MISSION    STUDIES. 

impulse  of  the  child  of  God  is  to  obey  the  Master 
because  he  loves  Him.  It  is  not  a  law  from  without, 
but  a  new  law,  the  law  of  love,  from  within. 

Faith  is  rich  in  spiritual  blessings  and  is  eager 
to  impart  and  communicate  them  to  those  who  are 
in  spiritual  need.  Hence  it  was  that  in  the  early  years 
of  the  Church's  first  love,  when  faith  was  fervent, 
every  disciple  was  a  missionary.  And  so  it  has  always 
been  in  later  times,  when  similar  conditions  obtained, 
during  and  in  consequence  of  seasons  of  spiritual  re- 
freshing and  quickening  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord. 

e.  Christ's  second  advent  and  the  final  judg- 
ment. Both  presuppose  the  universal  offer  of  salva- 
tion by  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  throughout  the 
world.  In  Matt.  24,  14,  Christ  expressly  states  that 
before  the  end  of  the  world,  when  He  shall  come 
again  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead,  there  shall 
be  a  world-wide  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  for  a 
witness  unto  all  nations.  According  to  the  uniform 
teaching  of  Scripture  the  interval  of  time  elapsing 
between  His  return  to  the  Father  and  His  second 
advent  in  the  glory  of  heaven  to  exercise  the  authority 
of  Judge  of  those  whom  He  has  redeemed,  is  the 
period  of  missions,  the  time  for  working  while  it  is 
day — the  day  of  grace,  before  the  night  of  the  judg- 
ment descends  to  usher  in  the  eternal  day  of  the 
Church  Triumphant,  the  kingdom  of  glory.  In  this, 
as  in  other  topics,  it  is  only  a  source  of  weakening  and 
loss  to  allow  speculative  questions  to  thrust  them- 
selves in  and  encroach  upon  and  gradually  reduce  and 
enfeeble  the  work  which  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  and 
the  Judge  of  all  has  laid  upon  His  Church  as  an  urgent 


Ch.    12.  THE    FINAL    JUDGMENT.  147 

and  an  indispensable  task, — that  of  preaching  the 
Gospel  of  the  kingdom  in  all  the  world  for  a  witness 
unto  all  nations. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 
THE  CHURCHLY  GROUND. 

I.  The  Christian  Church  a  missionary  Church. 
This  topic  might  be  regarded  as  properly  coming 
under  the  head  of  the  preceding  chapter.  The  doc- 
trine of  the  Church  is  one  of  the  important  doctrines 
of  God's  Word,  and  one  that  is  sadly  misconstrued 
and  misunderstood  not  only  by  un-Christian  and  anti- 
Christian  agitators  outside,  but  even  by  many  pro- 
fessing Christians  within  the  churches.  It  deserves 
and  should  receive  their  more  careful  study  in  the 
light  of  the  Scriptures.  It  is  important  enough  from 
a  missionary  point  of  view  to  receive  separate  treat- 
ment here. 

The  Church  is  the  divinely  established  institution 
for  the  propagation  of  Christianity.  This  is  its  plain 
and  distinctive  mission.  There  are  voluntary  and 
arbitrary  societies  of  men  who  unite  for  certain  pur- 
poses and  arrogate  to  themselves  the  performance  of 
functions  which  properly  belong  to  the  Church.  The 
Church,  from  the  standpoint  of  its  essential  character, 
is  the  communion  or  congregation  of  true  believers 
in  Christ.  Wherever  these  gather  about  the  admin- 
istration of  the  divinely  appointed  means  of  grace, 
the  Word  of  God  and  the  sacraments.  Holy  Bap- 
tism and  the  Lord's  Supper,  there  the  Church  appears 
as  the  congregation  or  association  of  men  for  the 
performance  of  the  work  which  the  Lord  has  given 
His  people  to  do.  That  work  consists  in  spreading 
the  leaven  of  the  Gospel   throughout  the  earth  and 

(148) 


Ch.    13.  RECIPROCAL    INFLUENCE.  149 

thus  building  up  and  extending  the  kingdom  of  God 
in  all  the  world ;  in  making  disciples,  winning  souls 
for  Christ,  and  gathering  them  into  churches  for  the 
maintenance  and  continuation  of  the  work.  "The 
Word  of  God  increased,  and  the  number  of  the  di- 
sciples multiplied,''  is  the  condensed  record  of  the 
work  in  the  apostolic  Church. 

The  Church  is  missionary  by  birth :  it  is  the  pro- 
duct of  missionary  effort  and  has  an  inborn  mission- 
ary character.  The  Church  is  missionary  by  appoint- 
ment: this  is  implied  in  many  passages  of  Scripture 
and  expressly  stated  in  the  Great  Commission.  The 
Church  is  missionary  by  inner  necessity:  self-preser- 
vation demands  it.  Propagation  in  order  to  perpet- 
uation of  life  is  an  organic  law  in  all  the  realms  of 
living  creatures,  in  nature  and  in  grace.  By  scatter- 
ing, the  seed  is  increased ;  by  giving,  new  blessings 
are  received ;  by  laboring,  health  is  conserved  and 
life  prolonged.  This  leads  to  the  further  consider- 
ation of  an  important  factor  in  the  work. 

2.  The  reflex  influence  of  missions  on  the 
home  church.  There  is  no  conflict  between  churchly 
activities  properly  carried  on.  The  varied  gifts  and 
diversities  of  operations  are  intended  to  work  together 
harmoniously  to  the  same  end.  There  is  action  and 
re-action  between  home  and  foreign  missions.  There 
can  properly  be  no  rivalry  between  them,  and  choice 
of  field  is  to  be  determined  by  opportunities  and 
needs.  It  is  inexcusable  shortsightedness  to  limit 
arbitrarily  the  sphere  of  the  Church's  operations.  "As 
we  have  opportunity,"  is  an  apostolic  principle  that 
ought  to  find  large  room  in  the  lives  of  Christian 
workers. 


150  MISSION    STUDIES. 

As  we  strengthen  our  home  churches  and  extend 
the  sphere  of  our  home  mission  activity,  we  culti- 
vate and  enlarge  the  forces  that  are  needed  and  fitted 
for  the  expansion  of  foreign  missionary  operations ; 
and  as  we  support  and  extend  the  work  of  foreign 
missions,  our  home  missions  and  home  churches  are 
encouraged  and  stimulated.  Such  reflex  influence 
of  missions  is  abundantly  exemplified  in  the  apostolic 
period  and  in  all  the  later  history  of  missions.  It  is 
not  a  matter  of  theory,  therefore ;  but  the  lesson  of 
history,  as  it  is  in  accord  with  the  principles  of  the 
Gospel,  that  the  epochs  of  greatest  missionary  ac- 
tivity have  been  the  times  of  greatest  spiritual  vigor 
and  activity  in  the  home  churches.  The  most  intel- 
ligent leaders,  both  in  foreign  missions  and  home 
missions,  iterate  and  re-iterate  the  conviction  that  en- 
larged interest  in  either  sphere  will  act  favorably 
upon  the  other,  and  that  the  home  churches  will  reap 
abundant  and  varied  blessings  from  all  the  varied 
activities.^ 

Of  all  the  Protestant  denominations  in  this 
country,  the  Lutheran  Church  has  the  most  extended 
fields  and  a  most  gigantic  task  in  the  sphere  of  home 
missions.  But  while  her  different  synods  are  devot- 
ing themselves  with  awakened  consciousness  and 
aroused  energy  to  this  arduous  and  strenuous  work, 
they  are  at  the  same  time  wisely  reaching  out  to  the 
fields  beyond.     And  it  behooves  them,  bv  every  con- 

'Cf.  At  Our  Own  Door,  by  S.  L.  Morris,  D.  D.,  p 
55ff. ;  and  Mott,  The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions,  p.  45ff., 
and  The  Evangelization  of  the  World  in  this  Generation,  p. 
24fif;  some  fine  paragraphs,  too,  in  Leavening  the  Nation,  by 
Joseph  B.  Clark,  D.  D.,  p.  346ff. ;  and  The  Incoming  Millions, 
by  Howard  B.  Grose,  p.  207. 


Ch.    13.  FRUITS    OF    MISSIONS.  151 

sideration  of  principle  and  polity,  to  keep  in  view  and 
press  the  claims  of  the  latter,  lest  their  eyes  be  blinded 
and  their  energies  deflected  and  dwarfed  by  the 
specious  cry  :     "We  have  enough  to  do  at  home." 

Among  the  tangible  evidences  and  results  of  the 
reflex  influence  of  foreign  missionary  endeavor  may 
be  mentioned  not  only  quickened  interest  in  home  mis- 
sions, but  the  work  of  Bible  societies,  the  varied  op- 
erations in  the  sphere  of  inner  missions,  the  develop- 
ment of  the  service  of  laymen  in  churchly  movements, 
not  to  speak  of  the  many  and  varied  forms  of  phil- 
anthropy and  humanitarian  endeavor  within  the  pale 
of  Christendom.^ 

This  is  a  subject  that  calls  for  vigorous  treat- 
ment in  our  churches.  It  ought  to  be  pressed  upon 
the  attention  of  Christians  generally.  It  will  recur  for 
discussion,  in  a  later  chapter,  under  the  head  of  the 
fosterins;  of  missionarv  life  in  the  home  church. 


Cf.  Warneck,  Missionslehre  I,  p.  258. 


^^ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  HISTORICAL  GROUND. 

1.  The  Lord  is  King.  Not  only  in  Zion.  He 
is  the  sovereign  Ruler  of  the  world.  His  ''domin- 
ion endureth  throughout  all  generations."  If  it  were 
not  so,  government  and  order  would  soon  perish  from 
the  earth,  and  ruin  and  chaos  would  ensue.  God's 
hand  in  history,  in  the  affairs  of  men  and  of  nations, 
is  a  most  interesting  and  profitable  topic  for  reflec- 
tion. It  constitutes  one  of  the  benefits  and  enjoy- 
ments of  the  study  of  history.  God's  providential 
control  is  apparent  in  the  conjunction  of  epochal 
events,  the  preparation  of  forces,  the  creation  and 
call  of  leaders,  the  removal  of  obstacles,  and  the 
like,  to  the  end  of  the  perpetuation  of  His  kingdom 
and  the  accomplishment  of  His  will. 

2.  The  providence  of  God  in  missions.  This 
is  manifested  particularly  and  may  be  noted  in  the 
conjunction  of  two  general  facts,  namely,  an  opened 
zvorld,  and  a  prepared  Church.  When  either  of  these 
factors  is  wanting,  there  can  be  no  decided  forward 
movement  in  the  missionary  enterprise.  When  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest,  in  His  providence  and  by  His 
grace,  brings  field  and  forces  together,  opening  the 
way  to  the  one  and  raising  up  the  others,  there  re- 
sults a  missionary  era  that  is  fruitful  in  proportion 
to  the  largeness  of  the  opportunity  and  the  fulness 
of  the  Church's  life  to  grasp  the  situation  and  make 
proof  of  her  stewardship. 

''Gradual  preparation,  ultimating  in  sudden  con- 
(152) 


Ch.  14.  god's  hand  in   missions.  153 

summation,"  said  Dr.  Richard  S.  Storrs  on  the  oc- 
casion of  the  seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the  Amer- 
ican Board,  "is  often  God's  method  in  history.  It 
was  so  before  the  coming  of  the  Master.  It  was  so 
before  the  conversion  of  the  Empire.  It  was  so,  sig- 
nally, before  the  Reformation.  It  seems  to  be  so  in 
our  day."^  The  times  and  seasons  are  in  God's  hand. 
Sometimes  there  is  long  preparation  and  slow  matur- 
ing; and  again  there  may  be  apparently  short  pre- 
paration and  speedy  returns. 

What  we  must  note  in  particular,  in  this  con- 
nection, is  the  fact  that  there  is  divine  preparation  in 
two  entirely  different  spheres.  The  world  is  prepared 
to  receive  the  messengers  of  the  Gospel.  To  this  end 
there  is  a  providential  shaping  of  political,  commercial, 
and  social  affairs,  so  that  there  may  be  access,  inter- 
communication, and  the  possibility  of  getting  a  foot- 
hold ;  in  short,  an  open  door.  Even  as  it  is  written 
of  Him  who  "openeth,  and  no  man  shutteth ;  and 
shutteth,  and  no  man  openeth :  .  .  .  behold,  I  have 
set  before  thee  an  open  door,  and  no  man  can  shut 
it."  Rev.  3,  7.8.  This  is  God's  work,  just  as  much 
and  just  as  truly  as  it  is  the  work  of  God  that  we 
believe  in  Him  and  become  inclined  to  do  His  will. 
The  world  is  made  ready  for  missions.  But  more. 
There  is  a  "fulness  of  time,'*  when  the  Lord  needs 
leaders  for  new  undertakings  and  special  workmen  for 
the  harvest  that  is  waiting.  Then  it  is  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  moves  mightily  within  the  Church,  and 
the  result  is  a  quickening  of  spiritual  life.  So  the 
Church  is  awakened,  it  may  be  from  temporary  for- 
getfulness  and  neglect  of  the  Great  Commission,  and 


^  Commemorative   Volume,   p.   52. 


154  MISSION    STUDIED. 

forcibly  reminded  of  its  sacred  obligation  and  of  the 
present  opportunity.  Within  the  quickened  Church 
workmen  arise  and  are  prepared  and  sent  forth,  and 
the  work  of  the  Lord  prospers  and  is  promoted. 

3.  This  truth  illustrated  in  the  three  great 
missionary  periods. 

a.  The  period  of  apostolie  and  post-apostolie 
missions.  God's  providence  is  illustrated  in  a  striking 
manner  and  on  a  grand  scale  in  this  period.  The 
''fulness  of  time"  is  indicated  not  only  in  the  birth 
of  Christ,  the  promised  Messiah,  but  also  in  the  pre- 
paration of  the  world  for  His  coming  and  for  the  wide 
and  rapid  extension  of  His  kingdom.  There  are  large 
factors  that  enter  into  the  work  of  opening  the  door 
and  preparing  the  field  at  this  time.  For  one  thing, 
there  were  great  obstacles  to  be  faced  and  overcome, 
social  and  political  obstacles,  of  which  we  in  our  day 
have  hardly  any  conception.  Becoming  a  Christian 
meant  enduring  persecution  and  social  ostracism.^ 
The  stupendous  evils  of  polytheism,  superstition  and 
reeking  moral  corruption  surged  like  a  flood  about 
the  disciples  of  the  Nazarene  and  threatened  to  en- 
gulf the  infant  Church.  But  even  these  obstacles 
were  overruled  in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  wrath 
of  man  to  praise  God  and  prepare  the  way  for  the 
promulgation  of  the  Gospel,  while  many  other  forces 
and  factors  were  shaped  and  made  conducive  to  the 
same  end. 

These  factors  in  the  providential  preparation  of 
the  world  for  missions  may  be  summed  up  under 
three  heads :     Greek  culture,  Roman  law,  and  Jewish 


'Cf.  Uhlhorn,  The  Conflict  of  Christianity  with  Heath- 
enism, 


Ch.    14.  IN    THE    EARLY    PERIOD.  155 

monotheism.  ''Philosophy,  science,  culture  in  the 
broad  sense  of  the  term,  are  the  gift  of  the  Greeks  to 
mankind;  law  and  civil  polity  are  a  legacy  from  the 
Romans  ;  but  'salvation  is  of  the  Jews.'  "^  The  Greek 
nation  had  gained  an  intellectual  supremacy  before 
the  Roman  conquests  established  a  political  sov- 
ereignty. Grecian  philosophy  degenerated  into  bald 
skepticism  and  atheism,  but  it  helped  to  undermine 
polytheism,  and  the  very  despair  of  finding  peace 
amid  the  confusion  of  conflicting  opinions  and 
theories  created  in  many  souls  a  longing  and  expec- 
tancy that  made  them  peculiarly  receptive  for  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel.  The  spread  of  the  Greek 
language,  in  which  the  New  Testament  was  to  be 
written,  and  which  was  destined  to  be  for  a  long  time 
the  language  of  the  world,  was  an  important  element 
of  the  problem. 

The  Roman  legions  in  their  march  of  conquest, 
creating  an  Empire  of  thirty-five  provinces  stretching 
from  the  British  Isle  to  the  African  desert,  and  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  valley  of  the  Euphrates,  the  im- 
perial system  of  roads,  the  development  of  commer- 
cial enterprise,  of  extensive  travel-  and  intercourse, 
breaking  down  social  and  racial  barriers  and  creating 
a  more  homogeneous  civilization,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  Roman  law  wherever  Roman  arms  triumphed, 
thus  promoting  security  and  protection  of  life, — these 
are  some  of  the  contributions  of  Rome  in  the  way  of 
preparation  for  world-wide  evangelization. 

The  main  factors  in  the  contribution  of  Judaism 


^  Fisher,   History  of  the   Christian   Church,  p.   13. 
"  On  the   large  extent   of  travel  and   communication   cf. 
Ramsay,  St.  Paul  The  Traveller  and  the  Roman  Citizen. 


156  MISSION    STUDIES 

are  the  Septuagint,  the  Greek  version  of  the  Old 
Testament,  and  the  synagogues  in  which  these  Scrip- 
tures were  expounded,  and  where  there  were  fre- 
quently found  Jewish  proselytes  who  had  been  won 
from  heathenism,  and  who  proved  to  be  most  sus- 
ceptible hearers  of  the  Gospel.  Thus  the  Jewish  dis- 
persion, a  divine  judgment  visited  upon  a  perverse 
and  disobedient  nation,  was  made  to  contribute  its 
share  toward  paving  the  way  for  the  ambassadors  of 
the  Crucified.  ''Every  synagogue,''  as  Dr.  Schaif 
says,  "was  a  mission  station  of  monotheism,  and 
furnished  the  apostles  an  admirable  place  and  a 
natural  introduction  for  their  preaching  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  fulfiller  of  the  law  and  the  prophets."  ^ 

And  as  the  Lord  in  His  providence  was  thus  pre- 
paring the  world  for  the  reception  of  the  messengers 
of  salvation,  He  also  made  provision  at  Pentecost 
for  the  missionary  preparation  and  equipment  of  His 
Church.  It  was  indeed  a  'iittle  flock,"  and  it  looked 
like  an  unequal  combat,  an  undertaking  doomed  to 
certain  failure.  "Never  in  the  whole  course  of  human 
history,"  writes  Uhlhorn,-  have  two  so  unequal 
powers  stood  opposed  to  each  other  as  ancient  heath- 
enism and  early  Christianity,  the  Roman  state  and 
the  Christian  Church."  But  God  was  with  His  little 
flock,  and  history  has  recorded  the  fulfilment  of  His 
promises  and  the  triumphs  of  His  power  and  grace. 

b.  The  period  of  medieval  missions.  Here  the 
factors  in  the  providential  preparation  for  missionary 
expansion  are  neither  so  prominent  nor  so  numerous 
as  in  the  preceding  period.     The  Church  had  declined 


'  History  of  the  Christian  Church,  Vol.   I,  p.  87 
'The  Conflict  of  Christianity  with   Heathenism. 


Ch.    14.  IN    MODERN    MISSIONS.  157 

in  spiritual  power,  was  enjoying  the  protection  of  the 
state  and  suffering  from  the  manifold  evils  connected 
with  the  unhappy  union.  But  the  established  Church 
had  a  strong  organization,  and  when  the  migration  of 
nations  swept  the  barbarian  tribes  from  the  East  to 
its  very  doors,  the  Church  put  forth  heroic  efforts  to 
convert  them  and  gather  them  into  the  pale  of  Chris- 
tendom. The  missionary  methods  were  defective  and 
in  part  unevangelical,  carnal  weapons  were  employed, 
and  in  the  masses  who  were  gathered  into  the 
churches  there  were  many  who  were  Christians  only 
in  name.  Still,  the  overruling  providence  of  God  is 
evident  at  many  points,  and  the  races  that  peopled 
Europe  and  were  Christianized  during  the  medieval 
period  have  become  the  ruling  Christian  nations  of 
Europe. 

c.  The  period  of  modern  missions.  We  can  only 
make  a  very  hasty  survey  of  the  most  interesting  de- 
velopments which  gave  birth  to  the  modern  missionary 
enterprise.  In  the  preparation  of  the  world  as  a  basis 
for  missionary  operations,  the  most  important 
elements  were  the  invention  of  printing,  the 
mariner's  compass,  large  geographical  discoveries, 
the  great  trading  companies,  commercial  enterprises 
and  colonizing  movements,  and  the  more  recent  ap- 
plications of  steam  and  electricity.  The  geographical 
discoveries  began  with  the  discovery  of  America.  For 
something  like  a  century  these  discoveries  and  voyages 
Vv^ere  made  by  Roman  Catholic  navigators,  and  Portu- 
gal and  Spain  had  control  of  the  ships  and  the  seas. 
From  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century  onv/ard, 
English  navigators  made  important  voyages  and  dis- 
coveries,  and   Protestant   England    and   Holland    be- 


158  MISSION"   STUDIES. 

came  commercial  and  naval  powers  that  soon  made 
their  influence  felt.  It  was  an  account  of  Captain 
Cook's  voyages  to  the  South  Seas  that  directed 
Carey's  attention  to  the  heathen  world  and  set  him  to 
thinking  on  the  work  of  missions.^ 

And  during  this  period  of  commercial  expansion, 
of  discovery  and  progress,  of  advancing  intercommun- 
ication between  the  most  remote  parts  of  the  globe, 
the  Church  was  made  ready  for  the  work  of  world- 
wide missions.  The  time  of  the  Reformation  may 
properly  be  regarded  as  a  time  of  reconstruction  and 
home  mission  work.  The  foundations  that  were  laid, 
the  evangelical  principles  that  found  embodiment  and 
expression  in  the  Church  of  the  Reformation,  the 
liberated  Bible  circulated  in  the  vernacular,  the  right 
of  private  judgment  and  of  conscience,  the  imperish- 
able treasure  contained  in  a  large  and  varied  body 
of  Christian  literature, — these  and  other  factors 
proved  a  boon  for  all  time  and  are  still  bearing  fruit 
in  the  Christianity  and  the  civilization  of  today.  The 
Church  of  the  Reformation  should  not  be  criticised  too 
severely  for  its  failure  to  advance  or  advocate  the 
cause  of  foreign  missions.  Conditions  were  unique 
and  trying.  The  emergencies  were  great  and  the 
problems  perplexing.  Luther's  giant  mind  grappled 
and  with  surprising  depth  and  insight  dealt  intelli- 
gently with  nearly  all  the  fundamental  problems  that 
occupy  our  attention  today.  The  foreign  missionary 
enterprise  was  for  the  time  being  obscured  amid  the 
stupendous  issues  that  crowded  upon  the  home 
Church. 

During  the  Reformation  century  it  would  have 

^  Cf.  Smith,  Life  of  William  Carey. 


Ch.    14.  GRADUAL    DEVELOPMENT.  159 

been  humanly  impossible  for  the  Protestant  Church 
even  to  have  reached  and  opened  missionary  oper- 
ations in  distant  foreign  fields  with  any  hope  of  suc- 
cess, even  if  the  fathers  of  the  Reformation  had  been 
desirous  of  sending  out  missionaries.  The  emis- 
saries of  Rome  held  undisputed  possession  of  the  dis- 
covered lands  and  planted  colonies  and  controlled  the 
navigation  facilities  for  reaching  those  fields.  The 
Romish  Church  was  not  slow  in  embracing  its  op- 
portunities and  extending  its  sway  in  regions  beyond. 
By  providential  permission  it  was  the  era  for  Roman 
Catholic  missions. 

After  some  feeble  and  sporadic  efforts  put  forth 
by  Protestant  churches  during  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, some  noble  and  promising  beginnings  in  foreign 
mission  work  w^ere  made  during  the  early  decades  of 
the  next  century,  e.  g.,  the  Danish-Halle  mission  to 
India  (Ziegenbalg  to  Schwartz  and  several  scores  of 
other  sturdy  pioneers),  the  Greenland  mission 
(Egede),  and  the  self-sacrificing  missions  and  mis- 
sionaries of  the  ^loravian  Brethren.  It  was  the 
churches  quickened  by  Pietism  in  Germany  and  by 
the  Wesleyan  revival  in  England  that  were  led  to  en- 
gage in  these  pioneer  ventures.  Toward  the  end  of 
the  century  Christianity  declined  under  the  blighting 
and  blasting  sway  of  Deism  and  rationalism,  and  the 
hopeful  beginnings  were  checked.  Then  a  new  re- 
vival of  spiritual  life  and  missionary  interest  ensued, 
and  the  greatest  of  all  missionary  periods,  the  era  of 
nineteenth  century  missions,  was  ushered  in,  with 
William  Carey  as  one  of  the  prime  movers  and 
leaders.  This  was  the  birth-hour  of  some  of  the  great 
f\nd    permanent    missionary    societies    which,    under 


160  MISSION    STUDIES. 

God's  blessing,  have  been  so  successful  in  advancing 
the  cause  of  world-wide  missions. 

It  is  evident  from  this  rapid  survey  how  the  pro- 
vidential guidance  and  controlling  hand  of  God  are  ex- 
emplified in  the  work  of  missions  throughout  the 
centuries  of  our  Christian  era.  Amid  the  conflicting 
forces  God  has  wrought  wondrously  with  feeble  and 
faulty  instruments  and  agents.  He  has  had  to  deal 
not  only  with  the  forces  of  evil  that  war  upon  His 
kingdom  from  without,  but  also  with  the  indifference 
and  unfaithfulness  that  lurks  within  the  Church. 
Whatever  faults,  however,  we  may  find  with  the  past, 
the  question  for  us  to  consider  is,  What  are  we  doing 
and  what  do  we  propose  to  do  during  our  life  and 
generation  toward  the  Vv^orld's  evangelization? 


Recapitulation  of  chapters  VHI  to  XIV.  The 
second  section  of  our  study  of  the  missionary  enter- 
prise is  entitled,  The  Ground  of  Mission  Work.  This 
is  evidently  the  very  heart  and  soul  of  the  enterprise. 
It  brings  to  view  God's  idea  and  thought.  His  pur- 
pose and  His  plan,  with  reference  to  missions.  His 
thoughts  and  plans  are  clearly  expressed  in  His  Word, 
and  so  we  find  abundant  material  for  study  in  the  mis- 
sionary thoughts  of  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament. 
In  discussing  these  thoughts  of  God  from  the  doc- 
trinal and  ethical,  the  churchly,  and  the  historical 
standpoint,  new  relations  are  brought  to  view  in  these 
various  applications  of  the  missionary  thoughts  and 
words  of  the  Scriptures.  Drawn  from  and  based  upon 
God's  Word  we  have  a  body  of  doctrines,  systematic- 
ally arranged  and  grouped,  and  constituting  the  way 


Ch.    14.  MISSIONARY    MOTIVES.  161 

of  salvation.  As  we  study  them  we  see  how  they  are 
permeated  with  missionary  thoughts  and  involve  mis- 
sionary duties.  The  same  is  true  when  we  consider 
the  nature  and  mission  of  the  Christian  Church.  And 
as  we  pursue  the  history  of  missions  during  our  Chris- 
tian era,  we  see  how  God's  providential  rule  in  the 
world  at  large  and  His  gracious  reign  among  His 
people  have  wrought  together  wondrously  for  the  ex- 
tension of  God's  kingdom,  in  spite  of  all  the  hostility 
from  without  and  the  infirmity  from  within,  with 
which  He  has  had  to  contend.  While  we  give  all 
glory  to  God  we  have  reason  to  pray:  Lord,  increase 
our  faith  and  make  us  more  faithful. 

The  true  missionary  motives  grow^  out  of  this 
ground  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  They  may  be  ex- 
pressed in  various  forms  according  to  varying  points 
of  view :  The  will  of  God  as  expressed  in  innumer- 
able passages  of  His  Word;  particularly  the  words  of 
Christ,  culminating  in  the  Great  Commission ;  Christ's 
compassion  and  His  love  constraining;  the  history  of 
apostolic  missions ;  the  inner  compulsion  growing  out 
of  the  universal  scope  of  the  leading  doctrines  of  sal- 
vation ;  the  obedience  of  faith ;  the  mind  of  Christ  and 
the  life  of  Christ  planted  and  nurtured  in  the  believer ; 
the  need  of  those  perishing  without  Christ,  without 
God  and  without  hope;  the  urgency  of  the  King's 
business  —  the  work  day  passing,  the  night  of  death 
and  judgment  coming  on  apace;  consistency  of  our 
Christian  profession  and  regard  for  the  preservation 
and  the  perpetuation  of  the  Church ;  thankfulness  in 
view  of  what  we  have  inherited  and  enjoy  in  conse- 
quence of  missions  and  the  godly  impulse  to  glorify 
and  adore  the  majesty  of  the  King  of  kings  who  rules 


\Q2  MISSION    STUDIES. 

in  the  realms  of  nature  and  in  the  sphere  of  grace,  and 
whose  is  the  kingdom,  and  the  power,  and  the  glory 
forever. 


^ 


m.    MISSIONARY  MEANS  AND 
METHODS.^ 


CHAPTER  XV, 

CHARACTER  OF  THE  MEANS. 

I.  Not  carnal,  but  spiritual.  The  very  nature 
of  the  Gospel  and  of  Christianity  requires  this.  The 
Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  is  the 
message  to  be  proclaimed,  and  the  kingdom  of  Christ 
is  to  be  established  and  extended.  "The  kingdom  of 
God  is  not  meat  and  drink,  but  righteousness,  and 
peace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  Rom.  14,  17. 
Christ,  the  King,  said:  "My  kingdom  is  not  of  this 
world."  And  St.  Paul  declares :  "The  weapons  of  our 
warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty  through  God  to 
the  pulling  down  of  strongholds."  2  Cor.  10,  4.  The 
burden  of  the  message  of  Christ's  ambassadors  is: 
"Be  ye  reconciled  to  God."  That  cannot  be  brought 
about  by  force,  by  the  learning  and  wisdom  of  this 
world,  by  appealing  to  natural  instincts  and  interests. 
All  such  methods  are  fleshly,  of  the  earth,  earthy. 
"Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit,"  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts.  The  work  to  be  accomplished  is  a 
work  of  divine  grace.  It  can  be  accomplished  by  no 
other  power. 

*For  special  literature  on  this  topic  consult:  Warneck, 
Missionslehre  III,  2 ;  Lawrence,  Introduction  to  the  Study 
of  Foreign  Missions,  p.  56ff. ;  Brown,  the  Foreign  Mission- 
ary, ch.  VI ;  Speer,  Missionary  Principles  and  Practice,  p. 
51ff. ;    Lowe,  Medical  Missions. 

(163) 


164  MISSION   STUDIES. 

Contrast,  for  a  moment,  with  these  evangelical 
principles  the  methods  of  the  Moslem  propaganda  and 
of  Roman  Catholic  missions.  From  its  beginning  it 
was  a  principle  of  Mohammedanism  to  spread  the 
faith,  exterminate  "heresy"  and  conquer  the  nations 
by  fire  and  sword.  Those  measures  of  violence  and 
oppression  were  in  accord  with  its  intrinsic  character. 
The  false  prophet  had  undertaken  to  found  a  kingdom 
of  this  world.  And  he  succeeded,  to  the  consterna- 
tion of  Europe,  and  to  the  extent  that  causes  Mo- 
hammedan countries  today  to  be  the  most  formidable 
fields  for  Christian  missions. 

In  medieval  missions  we  find  similar  means  and 
methods  employed  to  a  very  large  extent.  This  per- 
version of  methods  was  due  to  the  degeneracy  of  the 
dominant  church  and  the  deterioration  of  Christianity. 
This  is  only  one  example  of  wrongs  done  by  ignorant 
and  nominal  or  apostate  Christians  in  the  name  of  the 
Church,  and  for  which  inconsiderate  and  hostile  world- 
lings hold  Christianity  and  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  responsible.  The  monks  and  priests  of  the 
middle  ages,  many  of  them,  were  zealous,  even  fanat- 
ical missionaries,  but  their  zeal  was  largely  without 
knowledge.  Their  methods  were  formal,  hasty  and 
superficial.  Entire  communities  and  tribes  were  "con- 
verted," baptized  and  enrolled  as  members  of  the 
papal  church,  with  little  instruction  and  with  hardly 
any  understanding  of  what  true  Christianity  meant. 
The  Jesuits  in  China  openly  declared  that  they  only 
changed  the  objects  of  worship,  substituting  for  the 
idols  of  the  natives  crucifixes,  amulets,  and  rosaries. 
The  Romish  Church  of  the  twentieth  century  shows 
by  many  marks,  particularly  in  Protestant  countries, 


Ch.    15.  THE    DIVINE    WORD.  165 

how  greatly  it  has  been  modified  and  improved  by  con- 
tact and  competition  with  Protestantism.  But  still,  to 
this  day  and  in  every  land,  Romish  missions  are  rad- 
ically different  in  principle,  aim  and  methods  from 
Protestant  missions. 

2.  The  Word  of  God,  the  fundamental  and 
final  reliance.  Other  factors  and  influences  may 
intervene,  accompany  or  follow  the  administration  of 
the  divine  Word  and  ordinances,  to  prepare  the  way, 
remove  prejudice,  gain  a  hearing,  and  the  like,  but 
no  power  or  means  except  the  Word  of  the  living 
God  can  convert  the  heart  and  accomplish  the  aim 
of  missions.  The  Word  of  God  exerts  its  power  in 
different  forms. 

a.  The  spoken  Word.  The  divine  command  is, 
not  to  begin  mission  work  by  sending  Bibles  to  the 
heathen,  but  to  preach  the  Gospel.  That  always  im- 
plies oral  testimony,  the  living  voice,  the  personal  wit- 
ness. And  such  proclamation,  declaration,  or  witness- 
ing, in  order  to  be  intelligible  and  effective,  must  be 
made  in  the  language  of  the  people  to  be  reached. 
Whatever  use  may  have  been  miade  of  interpreters  in 
the  past,  whether  from  motives  of  convenience  and 
ease,  or  as  emergencies  required,  that  method  is  dis- 
carded today  in  all  permanent  mission  work.  The  first 
task  of  the  young  missionary,  and  it  is  often  a  trying, 
laborious  task,  is  to  acquire  the  language  of  the 
natives. 

h.  The  Word  in  the  form  of  ''living  epistles.'' 
This  is  the  divine  Word  as  it  has  become  flesh  and 
blood,  principle  and  life,  in  Christian  disciples  and 
workers,  as  it  is  reflected  (Matt.  5,  16)  in  the  Chris- 
tian life  and  walk  of  missionaries  and  their  families, 


166  MISSION    STUDIES. 

as  also  that  of  the  native  Christians  who  have  been 
w^on  by  the  Gospel.  These  ''children  of  the  kingdom" 
are  also  a  species  of  "good  seed"  sown  upon  the  soil 
of  heathendom,  and  it  has  the  promise  of  rich  fruit- 
age. These  Christian  lives  are  an  object  lesson  set 
before  the  heathen,  one  which  they  can  read  and  un- 
derstand even  before  the  Gospel  has  been  preached  to 
them,  or  they  are  able  to  comprehend  it.  Livingstone, 
Fabricius,  and  many  other  experienced  missionaries 
have  given  striking  illustrations  of  this  important 
phase  of  the  missionary  life.  It  is  this  fact  that  has 
led  heathens  to  confess :  "We  have  not  heard  your 
teaching,  but  we  have  s^en  it." 

c.  The  printed  Word.  The  Holy  Scriptures  in 
the  native  tongue  must  accompany  and  follow  the 
missionary.  Sometimes  the  printed  Word  has  been  car- 
ried in  advance  of  the  missionary  and  prepared  the 
way  for  his  coming,  though  this  is  exceptional.  In 
some  cases  the  printed  page  goes  where  the  living 
voice  cannot  be  heard.  The  printed  Scriptures  are  in- 
dispensable to  the  permanence  of  the  work.  The  aim 
Is  to  make  Christian  disciples  and  establish  Christian 
churches.  And  these,  in  order  to  be  true  and  endur- 
ing, must  be  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the  apostles 
and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the  chief 
corner-stone.  The  Nestorian  mission  in  China  and 
the  Roman  Catholic  mission  in  Japan  made  no  pro- 
vision for  giving  the  printed  Word  to  the  people ;  and 
these  missions  disappeared.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
open  Bible  saved  Madagascar  amid  the  bloody  perse- 
cution that  swept  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  over  the 
newly  established  chiirches, 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MAIN  METHODICAL  LINES  OF  THE  WORK. 

The  scope  of  our  present  studies  confines  us  to  a 
brief  and  condensed  treatment  of  this  topic.  Special 
workers  will  seek  and  find  the  discussion  of  technical 
questions  and  many  needful  details  in  other  treatises. 
A  general  survey  of  the  main  departments  of  the 
foreign  missionary  enterprise  is  all  we  attempt  here. 
They  may  be  grouped  logically  under  tu^o  heads:  i. 
Direct   evangelism ;   2.  Indirect   evangelistic   effort. 

I.  Direct  evangelism.  By  this  is  meant  the 
direct,  and  generally  oral,  presentation  of  the  Gospel. 
This  must  always  be  the  main  method,  as  it  involves 
the  divinely  appointed  means  for  accomplishing  the 
end  of  missions.  It  consists  in  the  ''preaching"  of  the 
Gospel  in  the  widest  sense  of  the  term,  in  private  and 
in  public;  whether  by  the  missionary,  the  ordained 
native  pastor,  the  lay  helper,  or  other  native  convert. 

a.  It  assumes  various  forms.  It  may  take  the 
form  of  (i)  private  conversation  and  interview;  (2) 
formal  preaching  to  a  larger  or  smaller  gathering; 
(3)  that  of  a  regular  course  of  instruction. 

(i)  The  most  telling  work,  both  at  home  and 
in  the  foreign  field,  is  often  that  which  takes  the  form 
of  individual  effort  and  personal  interview.  There  are 
instructive  examples  of  this  in  the  ministry  of  Christ 
and  in  the  experience  of  the  most  successful  public 
workers.  "The  bulk  of  the  work  is  personal  dealing 
with    a    few,''    is    the    testimony  of  a  missionary  in 

(167) 


168  MISSION    STUDIES. 

Arabia/  "The  preaching  in  Arabia  and  China  and 
India  is  not  after  the  style  of  Peter  at  Pentecost,  but 
of  Christ  at  the  Samarian  well-side.  We  must  learn 
to  do  the  personal  work  with  one  or  two  in  the  same 
spirit  in  which  the  well  prepared  address  that  will 
reach  hundreds  is  delivered,  bringing  them  the 
message  of  the  Gospel."  It  is  just  at  this  point  where 
not  a  few  ministers,  who  are  eloquent,  fearless  and 
forceful  in  the  pulpit,  are  weak.  It  would  be  a  very 
serious  weakness  in  the  missionary. 

(2)  The  preaching  of  the  Word  frequently 
takes  the  form  of  itinerating.  This  means  the  under- 
taking by  the  missionary  and  his  assistants  of  longer 
or  shorter  tours,  endeavoring  to  reach  as  many  people 
as  they  can  and  bring  them  under  the  influence  of  the 
Gospel.  Some  missionaries  have  made  the  mistake  of 
undertaking  too  large  a  field,  and  consequently  of 
scattering  their  energies  and  doing  the  work  very 
superficially.  ''Missionaries  nowadays  attempt  less. 
They  spend  a  week  or  two  at  a  place  and  return  fre- 
quently to  the  same  spot.  The  sown  seed  is  watched, 
the  ripening  harvest  garnered."^  In  this  work  the 
missionary  will  make  use  of  as  many  native  helpers  as 
have  been  trained  and  can  be  mustered  for  the  service. 

(3)  The  catechumenate  is  an  important  form  of 
direct  communication  of  the  Word.  Those  who  in  pri- 
vate conversation  or  under  the  preaching  of  the  Word 
become  sufficiently  interested  in  their  souls'  salvation 
to  make  further  inquiry  and  to  seek  further  instruc- 
tion  are   gathered   together  into   classes,  or  met  pri- 


^  Rev.  S.  M.  Zwemer,  the  author  of  Islam  :  A  Challenge 
to  Faith,  and  one  of  the  leading  authorities  on  Mohammedaa- 
ism.  ^Lawrence,  Introduction,  etc.,   p.  65. 


Ch.    l6.  ORGANIZED    CHURCHES.  169 

vately,  for  the  purpose  of  giving  them  the  needful  in- 
struction in  the  truths  of  the  Gospel  and  the  way  of 
salvation.  Trained  catechists  assist  the  missionaries 
in  this  work  of  preparing  converts  for  baptism  and  the 
public  confession  of  their  faith.  In  this  way  they  be- 
come members  of  the  congregation  that  is  formed  of 
the  converts  that  are  won. 

b.  It  leads  to  organized  centers  of  operation.  As 
a  result  of  such  work  as  is  briefly  indicated  in  the 
preceding  paragraph  mission  stations  and  out-stations 
come  into  existence.  It  is  the  aim  of  every  healthy 
mission  to  gather  organized  congregations  and 
schools,  as  centers  for  the  continued  work  of  evan- 
gelization, where  the  old  and  the  young  may  be  nour- 
ished with  the  sincere  milk  of  the  Gospel,  may,  under 
the  administration  of  the  divine  Word  and  sacra- 
ments, become  stronger  in  faith,  more  intelligent  in 
their  knowledge  of  divine  truth,  and  stronger  to  suffer, 
if  need  be,  for  the  Gospel's  sake,  to  resist  temptation 
that  surges  and  rages  like  a  flood  about  them,  and  to 
bear  witness,  in  word  and  deed,  to  their  Lord  and 
Savior.  As  the  work  advances  churches,  with  all 
needful  appurtenances,  must  be  built. 

c.  The  question  of  self-support  and  self-govern- 
ment. If  this,  the  ultimate  aim  of  missions,  is  to  be 
realized  and  successfully  inaugurated,  it  should  be  kept 
in  view  from  the  outset,  and  the  methods  of  work 
shaped  accordingly.  Grave  mistakes  have  been  made 
along  this  line  by  many  of  the  older  missions.  It  is 
one  of  the  instances  where  Christian  benevolence, 
coupled  with  lack  of  foresight,  inured  to  the  injury  of 
its  beneficiaries.  Foreign  support  was  carried  to  the 
point  of  pauperism,  and  paternal  supervision  to  the 


170  MISSION   STUDIES. 

point  of  enfeeblement  and  helplessness.^  A  good  deal 
of  practical  wisdom  is  condensed  in  the  short  state- 
ment of  Secretary  Brown :  "The  spirit  of  self-help  is 
as  vital  to  character  abroad  as  it  is  at  home."^  The 
subject  involves  no  little  difficulty  and  offers  a  prob- 
lem which  will  require  great  wisdom  and  tact  for  its 
full  and  final  solution. 

2.  Indirect  evangelistic  effort.  We  confine 
our  attention  to  the  principal  lines.  There  are  three 
leading  agencies:  a.  Education;  b.  Literary  work; 
c.     Medical  missions. 

a.  Education.  This  is  a  topic  that  has  been 
much  discussed,  and  on  which  there  have  been  many 
conflicting  and  divergent  opinions  and  a  great  diver- 
sity of  practice.  The  true  aim  of  the  mission  schools 
has  not  always  been  kept  in  view.  Here  a  method  has 
become  an  aim  with  many.  Christianity  has  been 
made  subordinate  to  secular  education.  Mission 
schools  have  a  place,  and  a  most  helpful  and  salutary 
place  in  the  missionary  enterprise,  but  only  as  they  are 
thoroughly  Christian,  are  maintained  on  a  positively 
Christian  basis,  and,  as  one  of  the  missionary  methods, 
are  made  to  serve  the  cause  of  Christianity  and  the 
perpetuation  of  the  Christian  Church  in  mission  lands. 
This  department  of  the  work  is  said  to  be  the  most 
conspicuous  work  on  the  field.  And  we  may  agree 
with  the  judgment  of  one  who  says  that  "the  hope  of 
the  future  is  largely  in  these  schools."  But  all  the 
greater  reason  to  guard  their  evangelical  and  decided- 
ly missionary  character  with  zealous  care. 

^  See  Note  7  in  the  Appendix  for  the  testimony  of  Di- 
rector Egmont  Harms,  of  the  Hermannsburg  Society  and  of 
others  on  this  subject.     ^  The  Foreign  Missionary,  p.  40, 


Ch.    l6.  MISSION    SCHOOLS.  171 

Schools  are  variously  graded  and  classified  in 
mission  lands.  In  general,  there  are  three  groups  or 
grades  that  can  be  distinguished:  (i)  Primary 
schools.  Their  purpose  is  plain;  and  that,  taking 
charge  of  the  youngest  children  and  bringing  them 
up  under  Christian  teachers  and  Christian  instruction 
at  the  most  plastic  and  pliable  age,  they  have  a  most 
important  mission,  goes  without  saying.  (2)  Sec- 
ondary or  academic  schools.  These  include  what  are 
known  among  us  as  the  intermediate  or  grammar 
grades,  reaching  out  also  to  high  school  and  collegiate 
work.  In  many  of  these  schools  industrial  features 
are  added  both  for  boys  and  girls,  serving  a  useful 
purpose  in  teaching  them  the  most  helpful  arts  of 
everyday  life,  preparing  them  to  cope  successfully 
with  the  conditions  about  them  and  to  occupy  the  more 
important  positions  in  society  and  in  the  church.  (3) 
Professional  schools.  These  are  technical  schools  of 
higher  education  and  aim  to  train  special  workmen  for 
various  spheres  of  activity.  They  include,  among 
others,  pedagogic,  theological,  medical,  and  industrial 
schools.  These  well-known  terms  indicate  the  special 
character  and  purpose  of  these  schools.  They  train 
teachers,  catechists,  pastors,  physicians  and  medical 
assistants,  artisans  and  mechanics,  and  skilled  work- 
men generally.  The  trend  of  all  this  is  evident.  In 
general,  it  tends  to  improve  all  existing  conditions,  to 
provide  the  natives  with  the  means  of  advancing  the 
best  interests  of  the  community  and  to  care,  in  an  in- 
telligent way,  for  their  physical  and  spiritual  necessi- 
ties. 

Emphasis  must  be  laid  continually  upon  the 
Christian  and  churchly  character  and  purpose  of  all 


172  MISSION    STUDIES. 

these  educational  facilities.  The  idea  is  to  permeate 
society  with  the  leaven  of  the  Gospel,  to  train  the 
native  Christians  to  be  a  salt  in  the  community  and 
leaders  among  their  countrymen,  and,  in  particular,  as 
the  most  important  branch,  to  train  native  helpers, 
readers,  catechists^  evangelists,  and  pastors  for  service 
in  the  Church.  When  we  note  that  there  are  now  on 
the  foreign  field  about  30,000  mission  schools,  of  which 
more  than  a  thousand  are  of  the  higher  grades  ;  that  the 
number  of  trained  native  helpers  approaches  96,000,  of 
which  over  5,000  are  ordained,  laboring  at  some  40,000 
stations  and  out-stations,  in  congregations  numbering 
1,817,000  communicants,  and  4,352,000  adherents  or 
native  Christians,  and  1,305,000  scholars  and  students 
attending  the  mission  schools,  we  begin  to  realize  what 
a  present  force  and  what  a  promise  for  the  future  these 
educational  institutions  on  the  foreign  field  are. 

b.  Literary  work.  The  importance  of  this  work 
centers  about  the  translation  and  publication  of  the 
Holy  Scriptures,  and  the  preparation  and  circulation 
of  Christian  literature  in  the  form  of  leaflets,  papers 
and  books,  including  those  that  are  required  in  school 
and  church.  Much  has  been  done  in  this  sphere,  and 
the  fruits  of  these  wise  and  unwearied  endeavors  are 
incalculable.  Secretary  Arthur  J.  Brown  remarks : 
''We  often  hear  that  the  Bible  is  now  accessible  to 
practically  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  It  is  true,  and 
the  missionary  is  the  one  who  has  made  it  so."^  The 
Bible  societies  of  Christendom  have  rendered  the  most 
valuable  services  in  this  department  of  mission  work, 
co-operating  with  the  missionary  societies  in  the  work 


^  The  Foreign  Missionary,  p.  103, 


Ch.    l6.  MEDICAL   MISSIONS.  173 

of  Scripture  translation,  printing  and  circulation. 
During  the  past  century  over  200,000,000  copies  of  the 
Bible,  in  whole  or  in  part,  have  been  printed  and  cir- 
culated in  nearly  400  different  languages,  and  these 
among  the  leading  languages  of  heathendom. 

c.  Medical  missions.  This  is  the  youngest  of 
the  main  departments  of  foreign  mission  work.  Fol- 
lowing the  example  of  Christ  who,  besides  preaching 
the  Gospel  of  the  kingdom,  ''went  about  doing  good," 
and  especially  healing  the  sick  and  relieving  the  pains 
and  woes  of  humanity,  medical  missions,  together  with 
allied  forms  of  Christian  benevolence,  are  pressing  to 
the  forefront  in  waging  magnanimous  and  successful 
warfare  upon  the  nameless  sorrows  and  woes  that  are 
rampant  and  stalking,  ghastly  and  deadly  specters  of 
heathenism.  It  is  a  gracious  ministry  wrestling  hero- 
ically with  great  need.  It  is  only  to  be  hoped  that 
medical  missionaries  will  not  forget  the  frequent 
cautions  and  reminders  of  their  brethren,  that  the  mis- 
sionary should  never  shrink  into  a  mere  physician,  that 
he  must  always  remain  also  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel, 
and  that,  while  ministering  to  all  manner  of  sick,  not 
fearing  or  failing  to  mitigate  even  the  horrors  of 
leprosy,  he  crowns  his  office  with  its  noblest  and 
sweetest  wreath  when  he  faithfully  applies  the  only 
remedy  known  to  man  for  the  healing  of  the  mon- 
strous leprosy  of  sin. 

Some  conception  of  the  volume  and  extent  to 
which  this  work  has  grown  since  its  inauguration, 
some  three  score  years  ago,  may  be  formed  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  the  Protestant  boards  of  Christendom 
are  maintaining  on  the  foreign  field  about  1,170  hos- 


174  MISSION   STUDIES. 

pitals  and  dispensaries,  and  that  in  1906  they  treated 
2,347,780  patients. 

Well  may  we  close  this  section  with  the  words  of 
Dr.  James  S.  Dennis^ :  "The  Gospel  leaven  has  pene- 
trated every  land;  Christian  instruction  is  dissem- 
inated in  almost  all  the  languages  of  the  earth ;  med- 
ical missions  with  healing  touch  are  allied  with  evan- 
gelistic agencies  on  every  field.  There  are  many  and 
varied  facilities  waiting  to  do  our  bidding  all  through- 
out the  earth." 

And  at  the  end  of  all,  and  over  all,  we  will  in- 
scribe the  motto: 

See,   what   hath   God   wrought! 
To  Him  he  glory  forever! 


Recapitulation  of  the  First  Part.  In  this  Part 
of  the  work  we  have  studied  the  general  principles  that 
underlie  the  missionary  enterprise,  with  particular, 
though  not  exclusive,  reference  to  foreign  missions. 
These  principles  find  a  large  application  also,  along 
general  lines,  in  the  sphere  of  home  and  of  inner  mis- 
sions, which  will  receive  separate  treatment  in  the  Sec- 
ond Part.  After  an  introductory  section,  comprising 
the  first  three  chapters,  and  explaining  the  develop- 
ment of  the  study  of  Christian  missions  as  a  science, 
the  scope  of  the  missionary  principles  to  be  studied, 
and  the  place  of  missions  in  theology  and  Christianity, 
we  proceeded  to  the  examination  of  the  missionary 
enterprise  itself.  Conserving  the  principle  of  the 
essential  unity  of  the  missionary  enterprise  amid  the 


*  Foreign  Missions  After  A  Century,  p.  35. 


Ch.    l6.  RECAPITULATION.  175 

diversity  of  its  fields  and  operations,  in  accordance 
with  which  home  missions,  inner  missions,  and  foreign 
missions  are  regarded  merely  as  different  spheres  or 
departments  of  the  one  great  cause  of  world  evan- 
gelization, we  studied  the  leading  principles  in  three 
groups,  under  the  heads  of  the  missionary,  the  ground 
of  mission  work,  and  missionary  means  and  methods. 

Emphasis  is  laid  on  the  high  Christian  character 
that  is  requisite  in  the  missionary.  For  the  best  of 
reasons  the  standard  of  qualification  for  this  office, 
from  a  physical,  intellectual  and  spiritual  point  of 
view,  is  a  high  one.  His  commission  is  at  once  divine 
and  churchly,  clothing  him  with  unquestionable 
authority  and  affording  him  the  largest  guarantee  of 
success.  The  aim  of  his  mission  is  the  planting  and 
nurture  in  all  mission  lands  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ,  even  to  the  point  of  self-support  and  self-re- 
liance. 

The  very  heart  and  center  of  the  missionary  en- 
terprise is  reached  in  the  study  of  the  ground  of  mis- 
sion work.  It  is  grounded  in  the  heart  of  God :  in  His 
eternal  counsels  of  grace  and  mercy  with  reference  to 
the  fallen  and  perishing  race  of  man;  in  these  be- 
nevolent purposes  as  expressed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
His  own  indubitable  revelation,  the  ''impregnable 
rock"  and  fortress  of  Christianity;  in  the  great  truths 
of  His  Word  touching  the  universal  redemption  of 
mankind  through  His  Only-begotten  Son  and  the 
world-wide  proclamation  of  the  Gospel  for  the  ingath- 
ering of  the  lost  into  His  heavenly  kingdom;  in  the 
character  and  mission  of  the  Church  which  He  has 
founded  on  the  earth  and  which  shall  endure  forever; 
in  the  divine  promise  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 


176  MISSION    STUDIES. 

prevail  against  His  Church,  and  in  His  sovereign 
providence  that  causes  all  things  finally  to  converge 
and  to  work  together  for  the  accomplishment  of  His 
will  and  the  promotion  of  His  glory. 

In  the  last  section  we  have  seen  that  the  means  to 
be  employed  in  this  work  are  spiritual,  in  accordance 
with  the  nature  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  Gospel 
of  Christ.  The  faithful  administration  of  the  means 
of  grace,  the  Word  of  God  and  the  holy  sacraments, 
Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  is  to  be  relied  on  as 
the  only  proper  and  efficient  means,  in  the  strict  sense, 
of  accomplishing  the  end.  The  methods  employed  in 
the  application  of  these  divinely  appointed  means  of 
grace  may  be  designated,  in  the  main,  as  evangelistic, 
educational,  literary,  and  medical.  They  are  methods 
in  the  missionary  enterprise,  not  independent  aims  and 
institution.  They  serve  their  purpose  as  they  remain 
in  the  service  of  the  Gospel  and  minister  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  God's  kingdom  and  glory. 


M 


SECOND  PART. 


HOME  AND  INNER  MISSIONS. 
THE  MISSIONARY  LIFE. 

(177) 


CHAPTER  XVIL 
CHARACTER  AND  SCOPE  OF  THIS  PART. 

1.  Home  and  inner  missions.  The  essential 
unity  of  the  missionary  enterprise  we  endeavored  to 
show  in  the  fourth  chapter  and  have  assumed  through- 
out our  studies  of  missionary  principles  and  practice. 
There  is  no  radical  or  fundamental  difference  between 
foreign,  and  home,  and  inner  missions,  in  source  and 
origin,  purpose  and  aim,  ground  and  motive,  or  even 
in  the  principal  means  and  methods  of  work.  This 
is  practically  the  scope  of  the  principles  we  have 
studied  in  the  First  Part.  The  agreement  is  funda- 
mental all  the  way  through.  And  yet  there  is  room 
and  occasion  for  the  separate  treatment  of  the  work 
of  home  and  inner  missions.  This  is  owing  to  the 
fact  that  there  is  a  marked  difference  in  the  spheres 
of  work  and,  consequently,  important  differences  in 
the  mode  of  applying  the  general  principles,  which 
are  the  same  in  all  spheres. 

2.  The  development  of  the  missionary  spirit. 
The  concluding  section  of  our  treatise  is  of  the  most 
vital  character  in  the  entire  study  and  the  whole  enter- 
prise of  missions.  It  considers  the  growth  and  de- 
velopment of  the  missionary  spirit  and  life.  Its  im- 
portance cannot  be  overestimated.  This  factor  is  in- 
dispensable to  the  inauguration,  the  maintenance,  and 
the  successful  prosecution  of  the  work  of  missions. 
The  work  devolves,  by  divine  appointment,  upon  the 
Christian  Church.  Wherever  churches  cultivate  the 
missionary  life  within  their  ranks,  they  become  a  mis-. 

(179) 


180  MISSION    STUDIES. 

sionary  force  in  carrying  the  work  forward.  Whereas 
the  churches  that  neglect  the  nurture  of  missionary 
interest  bestow  Httle,  if  any,  energy  upon  the  task 
and  even  act  in  the  nature  of  weights  and  brakes,  re- 
larding  by  their  injurious  example  and  general 
lethargy  the  progress  of  the  work. 

3.  Elementary,  but  still  needful.  All  this  may 
be  regarded  as  self-evident,  a  matter  of  course.  It 
is,  indeed,  elementary  Christian  truth.  But  the  ex- 
perience of  the  Church  and  the  history  of  missions 
show  that  this  truth  needs  to  be  expounded  anew, 
urged  and  enforced  as  well  as  illustrated,  in  every 
generation.  Many  Christians  are  slow  to  grasp  the 
situation  and  make  the  application  of  that  which  is 
so  plain. 

We  cannot  agree  with  a  sentiment  expressed  by 
a  secretary  of  the  Congregational  Home  Missionary 
Society,  when  he  prefaces  an  excellent  partial  presen- 
tation of  the  cause  with  the  remark  :  "Few  thoughtful 
Americans  need  enlightening  as  to  the  theory  of  home 
missions.''^  It  all  depends  on  what  is  included  in 
"the  theory."  And  many  intelligent  people,  Ameri- 
cans and  others,  need  some  plain  and  fundamental  in- 
struction on  matters  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of 
God.  The  task  of  enlightening  and  enforcing  with 
reference  to  obligation  and  opportunity,  privilege  and 
responsibility,  is  not  superfluous.  If  faithfully  and 
persistently  done,  it  is  full  of  promise  and  hope.  And 
those  who  are  leaders  of  the  Lord's  hosts  and  watch- 
men on  the  walls  of  Zion  have  a  peculiar  and  solemn 
responsibility  in  the  matter. 


*  Leavening  the  Nation,  by  Joseph  B.  Clark,  D.  D. 


L     HOME  MISSION  WORK. 


CHAPTER  XVIIL 
THE  FIELD  AND  AIM  OF  HOME  MISSIONS. 

I.  The  relation  of  home  missions  to  other 
activities  of  the  Church.  As  has  been  emphasized 
in  a  preceding  chapter,  there  are  reciprocal  influences 
between  the  Church's  missionary  operations  in  dif- 
ferent spheres  and  the  life  of  the  Church  itself.  The 
relative  importance  of  home  missions  appears  from 
several  considerations. 

a.  Home  mission  zvork  comes  first  in  the  Biblical 
and  the  natural  order  of  u^ork.  The  Great  Commis- 
sion has  been  called  the  Church's  ''fnarching  orders." 
So  regarded,  it  also  points  out  plainly  the  order  of 
march.  Witness  is  to  be  borne  unto  Christ  for  the 
planting  and  extension  of  His  kingdom  in  Jerusalem, 
(the  home  church,  parish  and  city  missions),  and  in 
all  Judea  and  Samaria,  (home  missions),  and  unto 
the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth,  (foreign  missions). 
It  would  be  fatal  folly  as  well  as  unfaithfulness  to 
neglect  the  work  at  our  doors  in  our  eagerness  to  get 
to  distant  parts.  The  very  nature  of  the  work  of  mis- 
sions, witnessing  to  Christ,  confessing  the  faith, 
preaching  the  Gospel,  always  leads  and  must  lead  from 
center  to  circumference,  from  the  individual  believer 
unto  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  in  doing  so  it  aims, 
under  normal  conditions,  to  influence  all  the  territory 
that  lies  between.     Just  as  a  Christian  would  be  very 

(181) 


182  MISSION    STUDIES. 

unwise  as  well  as  unfaithful  if  he  were  to  look 
zealously  after  the  welfare  of  strangers  and  people  at 
a  distance,  while  at  the  same  time  he  were  persistently 
neglecting  the  welfare  and  spiritual  life  of  his  own 
soul  and  that  of  his  own  family,  so  Christian  churches 
are  unwise  as  well  as  unfaithful  to  their  trust  if  they 
neglect  the  mission  work  within  their  parish  boun- 
daries and  the  communities  round  about  them,  while 
they  are  hastening  to  the  relief  of  the  heathen  in 
distant  parts  of  the  world. 

b.  Home  mission  work  supplies  the  basis  of 
other  churchly  operations.  As  the  Church  is  extended 
at  home  more  ministers  are  called  for,  and  this  leads 
to  the  founding  and  enlargement  of  institutions  of 
learning  for  the  preparation  and  training  of  the  work- 
men that  are  needed.  This  was  the  way  in  which  the 
seminaries  and  colleges  of  the  churches  came  into 
existence  in  our  country.  Home  missions  were  the 
immediate  occasion  that  called  them  into  being  and 
then  supplied  a  continual  incentive  for  their  better 
equipment  and  extension.  And  the  mission  congre- 
gations, very  many  of  them  established  in  smaller 
towns  and  rural  communities,  have  furnished  a  large 
contingent  of  the  ministerial  candidates.  In  like  man- 
ner they  have  supplied,  and  continue  to  supply,  both 
men  and  money  for  the  extension  of  the  work  of  the 
Lord  in  foreign  fields.  Home  missFons  have  formed 
and  furnished  a  growing  base  of  supplies  for  the 
foreign  missionary  work,  and  foreign  missions  have 
sent  a  blessed  influence  back  for  the  stimulation  of 
home  missionary  endeavor  and  the  enrichment  of  the 
home  churches.  Thus  is  exhibited  the  essential  unity 
of  the  missionary  enterprise,  the   interdependence  of 


Ch.    1 8.  HOME     MISSIONS    FIRST.  183 

its  various  departments,  and  the  benign  influence  of 
all  these  Christian  activities  upon  the  life  and  work 
of  those  who  engage  in  them.  This  is  no  theory 
merely,  but  the  experience  and  history  of  the  work. 

By  careful  comparison  and  computation  on  a  large 
scale  it  has  been  estimated  that  from  four-fifths  to 
nine-tenths  of  the  evangelical  churches  in  the  United 
States,  varying  in  different  denominations,  are  of  home 
missionary  origin.^  During  the  last  century,  in  the 
early  decades  of  which  organized  home  missions  be- 
gan, the  membership  of  Protestant  churches  in  this 
country  increased,  on  an  average,  no  less  than  three 
times  as  fast  as  the  population,  and  the  increase  was 
largely  the  direct  result  of  home  mission  work.  In 
the  Lutheran  Church,  for  example,  the  increase  in 
communicant  membership  was  from  22,000  in  1800 
to  over  2,000,000  in  1908.  Its  proportionate  increase 
has  been  larger  in  the  last  decades  than  that  of  any 
Christian  denomination,  Protestant  or  Roman  Catholic. 
Such  fruitage  is  due  directly  to  its  unparalleled  op- 
portunities for  home  missions,  coupled  with  a  grow- 
ing measure  of  responsive  fidelity  on  the  part  of  the 
churches,  that  have  been  caring  not  only  for  the  in- 
gathering of  the  Lutherans  who  have  been  coming  in 
such  large  numbers  from  the  fatherland,  but  also  for 
the  Christian  instruction  and  training  of  their  own 
children  and,  with  growing  consciousness  of  the 
urgency  of  the  mission,  for  the  evangelization  of  the 
unchurched  people  about  them.  To  give  a  single, 
concrete  illustration,  we  may  refer  to  the  experience 
of  one  of  the  smaller  synods,  the  Joint  Synod  of  Ohio 
and  other  States,  in  regard  to  which  the  author  has 


^  Cf.  Clark's  Leavening  the  Nation,  p.  330  ff. 


184  MISSION    STUDIES. 

direct  knowledge.  During  the  last  twenty-five  years 
this  synod  has  increased  the  number  of  its  home  mis- 
sionaries from  12  to  90,  established  some  400  mission 
congregations,  fully  half  of  which  have  become  self- 
supporting,  has  extended  its  sphere  of  operations  in 
some  twenty  of  our  states  and  into  Canada  and 
formed,  as  the  direct  result  of  its  home  mission  work, 
six  new  districts,  while  its  membership  has  grown  in 
this  period  from  60,000  to  110,000  communicants,  a 
very  large  percentage  of  which  is  the  direct  fruit  of 
home   missions. 

c.  Home  missions  ami  general  benevolence.  The 
record  of  home  missionary  congregations  in  point  of 
self-help  and  benevolence  is  most  encouraging.  Not 
only  have  they,  as  a  rule,  exerted  themselves  loyally 
from  the  start,  co-operating  with  the  mission  boards 
in  reaching  the  desired  goal  of  self-support  as  speedily 
as  possible,  but  they  have,  even  while  depending  on 
the  mission  treasury  in  part  for  support  and  after 
becoming  self-sustaining,  set  the  older  congregations 
stimulating  examples  in  the  active  support  of  the 
general  work  of  the  Church.  A  careful  student  of 
statistics  has  computed,  on  the  basis  of  the  reports 
of  one  of  the  large  denominational  home  mission 
boards,  that  fully  one-half  of  the  amount  contributed 
in  one  year  for  home  missions  came  from  churches 
that  were  at  one  time  and,  in  part,  are  still  aided  by 
home  missionary  funds ;  and  further,  that  in  the  last 
twenty-five  years  these  churches  contributed  more 
money  for  their  own  denominational  missionary  work 
of  all  departments  than  the  entire  century  of  home 
missionary  endeavor  cost  that  denomination.^     Those 

*  Leavening  the  Nation,  p.  336. 


Ch.    l8.  HOME    MISSION    FIELD.  185 

who  have  some  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  work 
of  home  mission  churches  will  be  likely  to  bear  testi- 
mony to  the  fact  that  a  similar  condition  exists  in  a 
large  proportion  of  them. 

2.     A  survey  of  the  home  mission  field. 

a.  As  to  extent.  As  the  name  implies,  the  field 
includes  all  the  states  and  territories  of  our  land.  It 
reaches  out,  very  naturally,  into  adjacent  territory,  in- 
cluding particularly  the  immense  British  possessions 
to  the  North,  with  their  large  and  rapidly  developing 
provinces  that  extend  from  Quebec  to  Columbia.  The 
extent  of  territory  and  abundance  of  resources  are 
attracting  new  settlers  in  large  numbers.  It  is 
claimed,  for  example,  that  among  the  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  new  comers  there  are  no  less  than  40,000 
of  Lutheran  profession  and  parentage  who  are  enter- 
ing Canada  annually  from  the  states  and  from  the 
fatherland.^ 

There  is  much  home  missionary  territory  in  the 
older  sections  of  our  country,  in  New  England  and 
the  middle  states.  But  the  field  for  largest  expansion 
and  ingathering  is  doubtless  the  rapidly  growing  West 
and  the  New  Southland.  The  tide  of  population  that 
has  for  many  decades  been  rolling  westward  is  filling 
that  extensive  section  with  marvelous  rapidity.  The 
public  lands  are  being  occupied,  and  there  is  no  new 
territory  to  be  opened.  The  West  has  been  truly 
called  ''the  battle  ground  of  this  country."  The  ex- 
tent of  territory  is  stupendous.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
the  area  beyond  the  Mississippi  is  two  and  a  half  times 


^  The  Lutherans  in  America.  Their  Heroic  Past  and 
their  Promising  Future.  By  Rev.  J.  C.  Kunzmann,  D.  D., 
Superintendent  of  Home  Missions. 


186  Mission  studies. 

the  size  of  that  on  the  east.  And  as  for  the  South, 
take  just  the  one  state  of  Texas.  Dr.  Strong^  has 
estimated  that  if  the  entire  population  of  the  United 
States  in  1890  had  heen  crowded  into  Texas,  it  would 
not  have  been  as  dense  as  that  of  Italy.  Texas,  and, 
in  fact,  the  entire  newly  developing  South,  is  another 
name  for  opportunity,  and  that  always  involves 
responsibility. 

b.  The  material.  Two  classes  of  people  go  to 
make  up  the  material  that  calls  for  home  missionary 
efifort:  (i)  Professed  Christians  in  need  of  the 
Church;    and  (2)  the  unchurched  masses. 

( I )  There  are  in  our  land  many  professed 
Christians^  temporarily  severed  from  their  churches, 
and  scattered  as  sheep  having  no  shepherd.  Many 
factors  contribute  to  the  restlessness  and  instability 
of  humanity.  Various  motives  and  aims  bring  the 
streams  of  immigrants  to  America  and  cause  people 
here  to  move  from  one  section  to  another.  In  the 
fewest  cases  it  is  a  religious  motive ;  generally  it  has 
a  strong  commercial  flavor.  These  up-rooted  Chris- 
tians are  in  the  greatest  spiritual  peril.  They  are  in 
dire  need  of  those  ministrations  that  seek  to  save  the 
imperiled  as  well  as  the  lost.  These  scattered  mem- 
bers are  to  be  found  not  only  in  the  newer  territories, 
but  in  older  communities,  too,  and  even  in  crowded 
cities.  In  fact,  the  tendency  of  people  to  move  from 
rural  communities  into  the  larger  centers  affords  large 
occasion  and  the  most  perplexing  problems  for  home 
mission  work.  To  give  but  a  single  illustration.  It 
is   estimated  by   those   who   are  giving   the   situation 


^  Our  Country. 


ell.    l8.  HOME     MISSION    MATERIAL.  187 

thought  and  attention  that  in  New  York  and  Chicago 
alone  there  is  an  unchurched  Lutheran  population 
(persons  of  Lutheran  profession  and  connection)  of 
more  than  a  milHon  souls.  If  that  claim  is  anywhere 
near  the  actual  condition,  could  any  fact  afford  a 
louder  call  to  any  church  for  the  enlargement  and 
the  more  zealous  prosecution  of  its  home  mission 
work  ? 

(2)  The  unchurched  masses,  both  native  and 
alien.  Caring  simply  for  their  own  moving  and,  in 
part,  estranged  people  would  not  impose  a  very  great 
burden  upon  the  churches.  It  is  immigration  that  en- 
larges the  task  to  stupendous  proportions.  Apart  from 
its  character,  the  volume  alone  affords  a  large  problem. 
During  the  past  87  years  25,000,000  immigrants,  in 
round  numbers,  landed  on  our  hospitable  shores.^  *'A 
million  a  year"  was  the  average  between  1900  and 
1906.  And  as  to  nationality,  whereas  in  former  years 
the  majority  of  the  immigrants  were  of  Teutonic  race, 
English,  Scandinavian,  German,  and  in  the  main  de- 
sirable citizens  and  easily  assimilated,  more  recently 
the  streams  have  been  composed,  in  threatening 
measure,  of  the  more  illiterate  classes  from  eastern 
and  southern  Europe,  Italians,  Russians,  Poles,  Hun- 
garians, and  allied  peoples.  It  is  a  mistake  to  regard 
all  these  indiscriminately  as  ignorant,  vicious  and  im- 
moral classes.  There  are  not  a  few  Christians  and 
people  of  staunch  character  among  them.  But  they 
are  all  adrift  in  a  strange  land,  and  they  are  in  sore 
need  of  the  ministry  of  the  Church,  as  the  interests 
of  both  Church  and  state  urge  the  need  of  ministering 
unto  them. 


*  The  Incoming  Millions,  by  Howard  B.  Grose. 


188  MISSION   STUDIES. 

c.  Character  of  the  material.  In  all  fairness  and 
justice  it  must  be  conceded  that  a  large  part  of  the 
heterogeneous  material  that  has  for  years  been  rolling 
and  will  continue  to  roll  upon  our  shores  and  through 
our  land  is  of  a  character  which,  unless  it  is  brought 
under  the  influence  of  the  Gospel,  will  prove,  as  it  is 
already  proving  to  be,  a  menacing  and  perilous  factor 
in  our  body  politic.  On  the  one  hand  there  is  a 
growth  of  the  spirit  of  commercialism  and  materialism, 
and  connected  with  it  inevitably  there  is  increasing  in- 
fidelty  among  all  classes  and  in  all  stations,  high  and 
low.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  there  are  the  ravages  of 
an  irreligious  socialism,  coupled  with  the  illiteracy  and 
moral  degeneracy  of  the  worst  and  vilest  immigrant 
classes.  These  elements,  of  course,  congregate  and 
concentrate  and  are  apt  to  become  seething  hot-beds 
of  infamy  in  the  congested  centers  of  our  population. 

''The  twentieth  century  city,"  with  its  concentra- 
tion of  evils  and  dangers,  its  sins  and  woes,  has  be- 
come the  center  of  stupendous  problems  in  the  spheres 
of  evangelism,  legislation,  social  economy,  and  re- 
form. The  large  city  has  been  called  "the  scab  on  the 
body  of  humanity,"  and  "the  plague  spot  of  nature." 
Another  has  said :  "The  city  is  the  nerve  center  of 
our  civilization.     It  is  also  the  storm  center."' 

3.     The  home  missionary  aim. 

a.  Not  reform  merely,  hut  regeneration.  The 
aim  of  home  missions  is  the  same  as  that  of  foreign 
missions  and   need   not   be   repeated   at   length.     The 


^Cf.  Christianity's  Storm  Center,  by  Charles  Stelzlc  ;  Our 
Country,  and  the  Twentieth  Century  City,  by  Josiah  Strong; 
The  Incoming  MilHons,  by  Howard  B.  Grose;  and  many  other 
works  of  similar  trend. 


Ch.    l8.  AIM    OF    HOME    MISSIONS.  189 

aim  is  to  make  disciples  of  Christ,  in  the  spirit  and 
according  to  the  direction  of  His  great  com_mand : 
warming  up  and  winning  back  those  professed  Chris- 
tians who  may  have  become  cold  and  indifferent,  those 
who  have  backslidden  from  the  faith,  those  who  have 
become  so  engrossed  with  worldly  interests  that  they 
are  in  danger  of  making  complete  shipwreck  of  their 
faith;  and  bringing  the  power  of  the  Gospel  to  bear 
upon  those  who  are  outside  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
who  have  never  known  Christ  and  the  power  of  His 
resurrection,  the  unchurched  masses  of  the  world,  ir- 
respective of  language,  nationality  or  social  standing, 
—  in  short,  m.aking  Christians  of  non-Christians. 

This  aim  must  be  kept  in  view  and  pressed  to 
the  front  of  our  missionary  endeavors  at  home,  as  well 
as  on  the  foreign  field.  Amid  the  multiplicity  of  in- 
terests, the  multitudinous  activities,  and  v/ithal,  the 
secularization  of  our  churches,  even  Christians  are  in 
danger  of  overlooking  this  true  aim  and  being  satis- 
fied vv'ith  something  less  and  something  lower,  some- 
thing that  falls  far  short  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
the  salvation  of  the  soul,  some  outward  conformity 
to  Christian  ways,  a  form  of  morality  and  civic 
righteousness  that  is  only  a  beautiful  carcass,  because 
it  is  spiritually  dead,  lacking  the  life  of  Christ  and 
the  power  of  the  v\orld  to  come,  as  truly  without  God 
and  without  hope  in  the  world  as  are  the  unconverted 
heathen  in  Africa  or  Asia.  The  task  of  home  mis- 
sions for  us  Christians  is  the  task  of  Christianizing 
America. 

h.  Not  societies  for  ethical  culture,  hut  self-sup- 
porting Christian  churches.  Many  schemes  are  set 
in   motion   for  the  amelioration  and   improvement  of 


190  MISSION    STUDIES. 

conditions.  They  are  well-meaning,  and  many  of  them 
are  effective,  as  far  as  they  go.  But  they  fall  short 
of  the  goal,  because  they  lack  the  only  efficient  remedy 
that  can  save  mankind,  in  America  or  anywhere  else. 
The  aim  of  home  missions  is  not  the  multiplication  of 
societies  that  consume  a  large  amount  of  energy, 
scatter  the  forces  in  this  direction  and  that,  and  in 
the  end  leave  the  greatest  needs  untouched,  but  the 
planting  and  fostering  of  Christian  churches,  that  are 
in  possession  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  which  is 
the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.  The  aim  of  the 
Gospel  is  always  to  win  souls  for  Christ,  to  beget  be- 
lievers, and  to  gather  these  into  congregations  having 
the  means  of  grace,  the  divine  Word  and  sacraments, 
supporting  the  public  ministry  of  the  Word,  caring  for 
the  spiritual  welfare  of  young  and  old,  and  co-operat- 
ing with  their  brethren  in  the  general  work  of  evan- 
gelization and  church  extension.  Let  this,  the  distinct 
office  of  organized  home  missions,  be  kept  constantly 
in  view  and  plied  with  a  vigor  and  earnestness  com- 
mensurate with  the  size  and  seriousness  of  the  task 
before  us. 


c^ 


CHAPTER  XIX^ 
THE  FORCES  AND  METHODS  OF  HOME  MISSIONS. 

I.  The  home  missionary  forces.  For  the  com- 
passing of  the  task  of  home  missions  in  our  land,  as 
for  the  prosecution  of  the  work  of  missions  in  heathen 
lands,  there  can  be  but  one  answer  to  the  question  as 
to  the  forces  competent  and  called  to  do  the  work. 
By  divine  appointment  the  task  has  been  laid  as  a 
sacred  obligation  and  royal  privilege  upon  the  Church 
which  Jesus  Christ  established  on  the  earth.  Is  the 
Church  competent  to  discharge  the  obligation  and  per- 
form the  task  assigned  ? 

a.  The  Christian  churches  of  our  land.  The  task 
cannot  be  shifted  or  delegated  to  other  institutions. 
Philanthropic  associations,  legislation,  institutions  of 
the  state,  and  reform  movements  have  their  purpose 
and  a  place  in  the  general  effort  to  solve  the  many  and 
complex  problems  of  our  civilization.  But  all  these 
secular  movements  and  institutions  are  established  on 
a  humanitarian  basis  and  labor  from  a  civil,  social, 
moral  and  philanthropic  point  of  view.  Even  if  they 
are  more  or  less  religious  in  character  and  supported 
and  directed  by  Christians,  they  are  neither  divinely 
instituted  nor  divinely  equipped,  as  is  the  Church,  nor 
have  they  the  calling  to  do  the  distinctive  work  of 
the  Church. 

h.  Are  the  Christian  churches  equal  to  the  task? 
Let  us  attempt  a  general  survey  of  the  ground,  mak- 
ing some  comparisons  and  inquiring  into  the  condi- 
tions of  success, 

(191) 


192  MISSION    STUDIES. 

(i.)  In  point  of  numbers.  While  upon  the  basis 
of  the  last  census  it  is  fair  to  estimate  the  present 
population  of  the  United  States  at  80,000,000  in  round 
numbers,  there  are,  according  to  the  statistical  tables 
prepared  by  Dr.  H.  K.  Carroll,  about  31,000,000  com- 
municant members  in  those  religious  denominations 
that  may  be  regarded  as  Christian.  We  would  leave 
altogether  out  of  consideration  in  our  estimate,  if  we 
could,  those  who  refuse  to  stand  for  positive  Chris- 
tianity in  the  sense  and  spirit  of  the  New  Testament, 
those  who  deny  the  divinity  of  Christ,  the  Only-be- 
gotten Son  of  God,  and  the  need  and  reality  of  His 
vicarious  atonement,  as  those  who  thereby  put  them- 
selves outside  the  pale  of  true.  Scriptural  and  apos- 
tolic Christianity  and  unfit  themselves  to  bear  effec- 
tive witness  unto  Christ  as  the  world's  only  Redeemer 
and  to  serve  as  efficient  agents  in  conveying  to  a  dying 
world  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God.  The  thirty-one 
million  communicants,  reported  by  statisticians,  in- 
clude about  eleven  million  of  Roman  Catholics.  Many 
and  gross  as  are  the  errors  of  that  church,  and  great 
as  is  its  departure  at  many  points  from  *'the  faith 
once  delivered  unto  the  saints,''  it  has  not  as  yet  done 
what  not  a  few  leaders  and  churches  among  Protes- 
tants have  done,  it  has  not  professedly  set  aside  as  a 
figment  or  a  legend  the  heart  of  the  Gospel,  salvation 
through  the  blood  of  Christ,  God's  Only-begotten  Son. 
In  so  far  it  is  still  competent  to  save  the  souls  of  those 
who  put  their  trust  in  Christ  and  are  not  led  astray 
by  the  many  grievous  errors  with  which  the  Romish 
Church  has  unfortunately  overlaid  the  Gospel. 

The  only  object  in  entering  upon  this  explanation 
is  to  make  a  distinction,  as  sharp  as  may  be,  between 


Ch.    19.  HOME    MISSION    FORCES.  193 

positively  Christian  and  non-Christian  forces  among 
the  religious  denominations,  as  they  are  usually  re- 
ported. Taken  for  granted  now,  that,  in  a  total  popu- 
lation of  eighty  million  we  have  from  twenty  to  thirty 
million  church  members  who,  professedly  at  least, 
stand  for  the  positive  truth  that  without  Christ  there 
is  no  salvation,  and  that  the  Gospel  is  "the  power  of 
God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth,"  what 
does  the  assumption  lead  us  to  conclude  with  refer- 
ence to  the  work  of  home  missions? 

From  the  standpoint  of  numbers  the  permeation 
of  our  population  with  the  leaven  of  the  Gospel  and 
the  Christianization  of  the  present  unchurched  masses 
would  almost  look  like  an  easy  proposition.  From  this 
viewpoint  the  task  does  not,  at  least,  present  a  for- 
midable aspect.  Moreover,  these  Christian  forces  are 
widely  distributed  and  are  favorably  situated  for  ef- 
fectively influencing  the  non-Christian  population. 
They  are  round  about  us,  at  our  very  doors,  in  our 
neighborhoods,  under  the  very  shadow  of  our  churches. 
Among  the  incoming  millions  there  are  people  of  all 
faiths  and  of  no  faith,  Roman  Catholics  and  Protes- 
tants, Christians  and  agnostics.  There  is  room  for  all 
the  Christian  churches  to  put  forth  helping  hands  in 
gathering  their  brethren  and  such  as  they  can  win 
from  the  world  of  infidelity  and  iniquity  under  their 
sheltering  protection. 

There  is  another  advantage  that  is  worthy  of  con- 
sideration. A  good  start  has  been  made.  The  work 
of  home  missions,  so  far  as  it  has  been  earnestly 
pushed  in  the  churches,  has  been  successful  and  has 
borne  ample  fruit.  There  are  in  connection  with  the 
Protestant  churches  of  our  land  some  thirty  organ- 


194  MISSION    STUDIES. 

ized  home  missionary  societies,  that  have,  it  is  claimed,^ 
expended  $140,000,000  in  carrying  on  the  work.  This 
gives  some  indication  of  the  extent  and  distrihution 
of  the  Christian  forces,  of  what  the  churches  have 
done  in  the  past  and  might  do  for  the  future.  Noth- 
ing succeeds  Hke  success,  even  in  church  work.  Each 
triumph  is  an  incitement  to  attempt  more  victories. 

(2.)  Conditons  of  success.  Under  what  condi- 
tions will  the  churches  be  able  to  face  the  new  tasks 
before  them  with  hope  of  success?  There  are  three 
supreme  and  indispensable  requirements  that  may  be 
tersely  comprehended  under  the  terms :  The  Gospel, 
faith,  and  tact. 

aa.  Possession  of  the  one  thing  needful, — the 
Gospel.  There  is  abundant  reason  for  the  reiteration 
of  this  fundamental  truth.  It  divides  the  Christian 
forces  from  the  non-Christian  and  distinguishes  the 
victorious  armies  of  the  cross  from  the  vanquished  ex- 
ponents of  some  other  cult.  Home  mission  work  will 
prosper  in  the  hands  of  those  churches  that  hold  fast 
the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  in  spite  of  the  destructive 
forces  and  the  "assured  results"  of  the  ''new"  theol- 
ogy. Home  mission  work  and  all  the  work  of  the 
churches,  whatever  its  apparent,  outward  success,  is 
bound  to  be  a  failure  in  spiritual  power  and  results, 
if  it  gives  up  the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  the 
Word  of  the  cross,  v/ith  its  central  doctrine  of  justi- 
fication by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God  who  by  His 
vicarious  sacrifice  upon  the  cross  made  atonement  for 
the  sins  of  the  whole  w^orld. 

bb.  Pozuer  in  plying  and  applying  that  one 
thing.     Where  the  Gospel  of  Christ  is  preserved  and 


^L^avening  the  Nation,  p.  331. 


Ch.    19.  CONDITIONS    OF    SUCCESS.  195 

preached  children  of  God  will  be  born  into  His  king- 
dom. And  these  believers  constitute  the  Church  in 
its  essence.  It  is  of  such  that  Christ  speaks,  when 
He  says :  "Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world ;"  "ye  are 
the  salt  of  the  earth."  And  this  is  another  indis- 
pensable need  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  home 
mission  work.  We  need  not  only  faith  in  Christ  as 
our  personal  Savior,  but  also  faith  in  the  Gospel  as 
"the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  ez'eryone  that 
believeth."  The  history  of  foreign  missions  gives  us 
many  examples  of  the  power  of  the  Gospel  to  save 
and  uplift,  enlighten  and  Christianize  even  the  lowest 
and  most  degraded  races.  We  may  gather  inspiration 
and  hope  from  such  records  and  testimonies.  We  de- 
spair too  easily  and  give  up  too  readily  in  some  of  our 
Christian  efforts.  Our  churches  need  profounder  faith 
in  the  Gospel,  and  larger  hope  for  humanity,  and 
greater  patience  and  persistence  in  going  after  that 
which  is  lost. 

cc.  Wisdom  and  courage  in  applying  the  one 
thing  in  the  right  zvay.  Above  all,  and  first  of  all, 
in  order  to  be  successful  workers  in  the  cause  of  home 
missions,  we  must  have  the  Gospel.  That  is  the  mes- 
sage of  salvation.  That  conveys  the  only  Savior  to 
men.  Without  this,  no  amount  of  human  wasdom  and 
ingenuity  wdll  avail.  All  man-made  philosophies  and 
schemes  for  the  redemption  and  the  regeneration  of 
man  have  failed  and,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  must 
fail.  The  Gospel  is  the  only  means  to  the  end,  as  it 
is  the  only  remedy  for  the  healing  of  the  radical  ail- 
ment of  mankind,  the  source  of  all  human  aches  and 
ills,  —  sin.  But  the  Gospel  in  the  hands  of  untactful, 
injudicious,  timid  men  is  not  as  efficient  as  it  might 


196  MISSION   STUDIES. 

be.  Awkwardness,  poor  judgment,  inconsiderate 
haste,  impetuous  zeal  without  knowledge,  and  the  like, 
may  repel  at  the  outset  those  whom  we  aim  to  reach, 
and  the  Gospel  does  not  get  even  a  hearing.  Wise 
and  faithful  workers  must,  therefore,  study  to  per- 
form the  offices  of  the  Gospel  in  the  most  efficient 
manner.  Time,  and  place,  and  circumstances  and  con- 
ditions must  be  taken  into  deliberate  consideration. 
Some  of  the  business  principles  that  are  legitimate 
and  effective  in  the  affairs  of  the  world,  and  that  are 
calculated  to  meet  present  day  conditions,  may  be  ap- 
plied with  advantage  in  church  work.  It  does  not 
weaken  the  cause,  but  strengthens  it,  to  carry  on  the 
work  in  a  systematic,  thoroughly  planned  and  capable 
way. 

Among  the  leading  factors  of  such  systematic 
work  and  efficient  way  of  plying  the  Gospel  are  per- 
sonal effort,  division  of  labor,  and  co-operation  of 
forces.  These  v/e  may  consider  briefly  under  the  fol- 
lowing paragraph,  with  reference  to  methods  of  work. 

2.  Home  missionary  means  and  methods. 
They  are  very  similar  to  those  employed  in  foreign 
mission  work.  In  fact,  we  may  profitaliiy  follow  the 
same  outline  of  general  methods,  merely  making  the 
application  to  the  particular  conditions  prevailing  on 
the  home  field. 

a.  Evangelism.  This  refers  to  the  direct  ad- 
ministration of  the  means  of  grace,  the  Word  of  God, 
Holy  Baptism,  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  congregations  that  shall  be  in  possession 
of  the  same  means,  shall  support  and  maintain  the 
public  ministry  and  aid  in  carrying  on  the  general 
work  of  the  Church.     This  work  includes  a  thorough 


Ch.    19.  THE    MEANS    OF    GRACE.  197 

canvass   of   the   field,   a   large   amount   of   individual 

effort,  the  work  of  visiting  and  pleading  the  cause 
of  the  Gospel  in  families  and  with  individuals,  ap- 
pointing and  conducting  public  services,  organizing 
Sunday  schools  and  congregations,  building  chapels 
and  churches,  and  marshalling  all  the  local  forces  for 
the  common  cause. 

In  the  prosecution  of  these  varied  tasks  that  all 
tend  to  the  one  end  of  planting  the  Church  and  ex- 
tending the  kingdom  of  God,  not  only  the  ministers 
and  the  officially  appointed  workers,  but  all  the  mem- 
bers have  part.  Care  should  of  course  be  exercised 
that  unwarranted  assumption  of  authority,  inter- 
ference with  official  acts,  and  the  like,  be  avoided,  and 
that  all  things  be  done  decently  and  in  order.  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  there  should  be  no  shirking  of 
Christian  duty.  This  is  the  point  at  which  the  work 
is  apt  to  suffer  most.  There  is  too  much  dependence 
on  the  fact  that  there  is  an  organization  and  a  group 
or  body  of  men  to  carry  on  the  work,  and  too  little 
and  feeble  sense  of  individual  responsibility.  There 
must  be  organization  for  effective  work.  It  cannot 
be  done,  if  undertaken  in  a  haphazard,  disorderly  way. 
But  it  is  most  deplorable  and  a  source  of  untold  weak- 
ness, especially  in  church  work,  when  the  individual 
practically  loses  his  identity  in  the  organization. 

Personal  eifort  depends  upon  a  keen  sense  of  per- 
sonal responsibility.  Every  Christian  is  a  witness  for 
Christ  and  ought  to  be  some  kind  of  a  worker.  Gifts 
and  talents  and  opportunities  vary,  and  it  is  unwise  to 
require  all  duties  to  be  performed  by  all  alike.  If  each 
one  is  alert  to  his  opportunities  and  faithful  in  doing 
what  lies  near,  he  will  soon  find  his  proper  place  and 


198  MISSION   STUDIES. 

grow  in  efficiency.  There  will  be  in  the  mission,  and 
among  the  mission  workers,  division  of  labor  that  will 
make  the  individual  efforts  far  more  efficient  than 
they  would  otherwise  be.  One  of  the  telling  features 
of  leadership  is  to  discover  the  talents  and  energies  of 
those  to  be  engaged  and  then  to  distribute  and  place 
them  wisely.  And  for  most  successful  work  there 
must  be  not  only  personal  effort  and  division  of  labor, 
but  also  co-operation  of  forces.  Unity  of  aim  and 
unity  of  effort,  is  a  fundamental  principle  of  work  in 
every  sphere.  It  is  exemplified  in  the  large  depart- 
ment stores  and  the  financial  and  industrial  concerns 
that  exhibit  such  marvelous  system  and  produce  such 
large  results.  The  secular,  commercial  spirit,  alas,  is 
creeping  into  our  churches  in  ways  that  are  alarming. 
It  is  not  the  spirit  of  commercialism  and  materialism 
that  is  needed  and  wanted  in  our  churches,  but  its 
methodical  way  applied  in  the  sphere  whose  spiritual 
interests  are  supreme  and  ought  to  be  supremely 
guarded. 

h.  Education.  In  the  widest  sense  home  mis- 
sion work  may  be  regarded  as  embracing  not  only 
primary  and  elementary  education,  but  higher  educa- 
tion as  well.  This  is  manifestly  a  sphere  of  great  im- 
portance for  the  maintenance  and  the  future  stability 
of  the  work.  It  has  to  do  with  the  religious  instruc- 
tion and  training  of  the  young,  the  conservation  of 
intelligent  and  well-equipped  forces  in  the  Church, 
and  the  preparation  of  efficient  workmen  for  every 
line  of  service. 

(i)  Primary  and  secondary  schools.  Are  the 
Christian  churches  of  America  doing  their  utmost  in 
this  sphere?     It  is  generally  conceded  that  the  church 


Ch.    19.  HOME    MISSION    SCHOOLS.  199 

that  has  the  youth  will  hold  the  future.  Keeping  the 
children  in  the  church  and  training  them  for  the 
church  is  therefore  a  task  of  prime  importance  and  far- 
reaching  results.  Are  we  doing  it?  Is  the  average 
church  accomplishing  the  aim?  The  Sunday  school 
is  a  fine  institution  and  is  serving  an  excellent  pur- 
pose. But  is  it  giving  the  children  of  the  church  ade- 
quate religious  instruction  and  Christian  training? 
Can  it  in  the  nature  of  the  case  be  expected  to  do  so? 
Here  is  a  topic  that  is  still  an  unsolved  problem  in 
many  church  circles. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  is  solving  the  prob- 
lem by  enlarging  and  improving  its  parocial  school 
system.  It  is  caring  for  the  religious  and  churchly  in- 
terests of  the  young  with  a  faithfulness  and  persistence 
and   success  that   should   set  Protestants   to  thinking. 

The  Lutheran  Church  in  America  only  follows 
in  the  footsteps  of  the  Church  of  the  Reformation 
wdien  it  bestows  much  care  upon  the  Christian  educa- 
tion of  the  young.  Luther  and  Melanchthon  are 
recognized  leaders  in  pedagogy  and  in  the  advocacy 
and  the  establishment  of  schools  of  every  grade,  from 
the  lowest  to  the  highest,  in  which  the  Word  of  God 
shall  hold  sway  as  the  only  ground  and  atmosphere 
for  the  training  of  the  whole  man,  which  shall  be 
dominated  by  the  principle,  that  "the  fear  of  the  Lord 
is  the  beginning  of  wisdom."  In  accordance  with  this 
principle  the  Lutheran  Church  has  been  a  zealous 
advocate  of  the  maintenance  of  the  Christian  school. 
The  execution  of  the  principle  and  the  realization  of 
the  aim  involves  the  gravest  difficulties  in  our  land 
of  highly  developed,  but  thoroughly  secular  public 
schools.    Whether  our  churches  succeed  in  conducting 


200  MISSION    STUDIES. 

their  own  Christian  day  schools  or  not,  they  aim  to 
supplement  all  other  religious  education  by  giving 
their  children  systematic  instruction  in  regular  cate- 
chetical classes,  thus  aiming  to  root  and  ground  them 
in  the  knowledge  of  God's  Word  and  to  bring  them 
up  as  intelligent  and  God-fearing  Christians  and  loyal 
members  of  the   Church. 

In  portraying  the  work  of  certain  mission  schools 
in  the  Indian  Territory,  embracing  among  their  pupils 
the  white  children  of  the  community  as  well  as  the 
Indian  children,  Dr.  S.  L.  Morris,  Secretary  of  the 
General  Assembly's  Home  Missions  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  U.  S.,  in  his  excellent  study  of 
home  missions,  entitled,  ''At  Our  Own  Door,"  writes 
as  follows,  page  54:  "To  reach  even  a  percentage  of 
these"  '<^the  children  of  school  age,  both  white  and 
Indian)  "our  'Mission  schools'  have  increased  to 
about  a  dozen.  Recognizing  that  secular  education 
without  religious  training  is  often  a  delusion  and  a 
curse,  we  are  not  only  teaching  the  secular  branches 
of  the  common  school  system,  but  making  the  Shorter 
Catechism  one  of  the  text-books ;  and  if  the  Shorter 
Catechism  be  the  seed  sown,  'what  shall  the  harvest 
be?'  "  If  this  holds  good  in  the  Indian  Territory,  why 
not  in  Ohio  and  New  York?  If  the  principle  applies 
to  mission  schools,  why  not  to  Christian  schools 
generally?  The  inadequacy  of  a  purely  secular  edu- 
cation is  acknowledged  by  the  best  educators  every- 
where. What  scheme  of  education  has  the  best 
promise  "of  furnishing  the  needful  remedy?  The  Lu- 
theran Church,  with  great  unanimity  and  heartiness, 
while  recognizing  the  ]:)ractical  difficulties  involved, 
replies:     The  Christian   school,   manitained   and  con- 


Ch.    19.  MISSIONARY    LITERATURE.  201 

trolled  by  the  Church.  Others  are  seeking  solutions 
of  the  problem  along  other  lines.  But  the  problem 
remains  and  is  still  unsolved. 

(2)  Schools  of  higher  education.  It  is  generally 
recognized  that  upon  the  Church  devolves  the  im- 
portant duty  of  training  its  pastors  and  teachers  and 
other  workers.  Academies,  colleges,  and  seminaries  are 
founded  and  maintained  for  this  purpose.  As  in- 
stitutions of  the  churches  that  they  serve  they  demand 
the  loyal  support  of  all  the  congregations  and  mem- 
bers. This  is  a  large  subject,  but  for  our  present 
purpose  it  is  not  necessary  to  enter  further  upon  it 
here. 

c.  Literary  zvork.  The  power  of  the  press  is  a 
recognized  factor  in  the  march  of  civilization  and  in 
all  the  work  of  the  Church.  The  home  missionary 
enterprise  must  aim  to  utilize  it  to  the  largest  possible 
extent.  The  churches  that  are  \vide-awake  and 
progressive  will  aim  at  the  publication  and  dissemina- 
tion of  such  literature  as.  in  character  and  form,  is 
best  adapted  to  the  practical  needs  of  different  fields 
and  spheres  of  v;ork.  Not  only  should  the  needful 
books,  church  and  school  books  and  others,  and 
periodicals  and  papers  be  provided,  but  much  litera- 
ture in  smaller  and  briefer  form  may  be  used  to  good 
advantage,  as  leaflets  and  booklets,  announcement 
slips,  invitation  cards,  and  the  like.^ 

d.  Charities.  The  home  missionary  church  must 
have  "a  heart  for  every  plea."  Workers  who  would 
follow  the  example  of  Christ  and  make  full  proof  of 
their  ministry  and  stewardship  must  cultivate  active 
sympathy  with  every  form  of  sorrow  and  woe.     Where 


'See  Methods  of  Church  Work,  by  Rev.  Sylvanus  Stall. 


202  MISSION    STUDIES. 

this  spirit  prevails  there  will  be  readiness  to  help 
where  help  is  needed.  In  this  sphere,  as  also  in  some 
of  the  other  spheres  mentioned  above,  what  we  call 
''inner  missions"  join  hands  with  home  missions,  and 
the  two  departments  overlap  and  to  a  large  extent 
coincide.  This  is  taken  up  for  consideration  in  the 
next  section. 


r 


11.    INNER  MISSION  WORK. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

DISTINCTIVE  CHARACTER  OF  THE  WORK. 

I.  Works  of  mercy  joined  with  ministrations 
of  the  Gospel.  The  term  "inner  mission  work,"  or 
"inner  missions,"  sometimes  used  also  in  the  singu- 
lar after  the  manner  of  the  German  term,  "the  inner 
mission,"  is  new  to  many  warm  friends  of  missions  in 
this  country.  The  work  itself,  so  far  as  its  main 
features  are  concerned,  is  not  new ;  but  it  is  not  gen- 
erally known  under  this  term.  The  latter  is  a  Ger- 
man copy,  and  it  is  at  least  a  debatable  question, 
whether  it  is  equally  pertinent  to  conditions  and  re- 
lations in  and  among  the  Christian  churches  in  Amer- 
ica. Even  in  Germany  the  significance  and  perti- 
nence of  the  term  has  at  times  been  called  in  question, 
and  other  names  have  been  suggested,  but  not  gen- 
erally adopted.  The  adoption  of  the  term,  "die  Innere 
Mission,"  was  suggested  by  the  nature  of  the  work 
proposed,  namely,  the  reformation  and  moral  and 
spiritual  renewal  of  the  national  church  itself,  "die 
Volkskirche,"^  which  had  lapsed  into  an  alarming 
condition  of  degeneracy.  The  idea  was  to  arouse  the 
believers,  the  living  members  of  the  state  churches 
to  a  sense  of  the  dire  extremitv  of  the  nominal  Chris- 


*  Compare  "Was  jedermann  hente  von  der  Inneren 
Mission  wissen  muss,"  (p.  11),  by  Dr.  P.  Wurster  and 
Pastor   M.   Hennig. 

(203) 


204  MISSION    STUDIES. 

tendom  about  them,  which  had  become  a  virtual 
heathendom  in  consequence  of  the  fearful  ravages  of 
the  revolutionary  wars  and  allied  causes,  and  of  the 
urgent  need  of  doing  something  to  save  the  perish- 
ing and  revive  the  dead  members  of  the  parishes  and 
communities.  In  view  of  such  conditions  the  term 
"inner  mission"  is  significant  and  pertinent.  But  in 
our  country  of  independent,  or  as  our  German  breth- 
ren say,  ''free  churches,"  where  the  churches  are 
quite  distinct  and  separate  from  the  state,  relations 
are  very  different,  even  if  the  conditions  of  bodily, 
moral,  and  spiritual  needs  are  substantially  the  same. 
Here,  while  the  inner  mission  principle  finds  applica- 
tion also  to  many  lapsed  Christians  and  needy  mem.- 
bers  of  Christian  churches,  it  is  in  the  main,  so  far 
as  the  term  "mission"  is  applicable,  a  battling  of  the 
churches  with  the  world  outside,  with  the  unfortunate 
and  suffering,  and,  in  large  part,  ungodly  masses  that 
have  no  sort  of  connection,  organic  or  otherwise,  with 
the  Christian  Church. 

So  much  by  way  of  introduction.  We  are  not, 
however,  much  concerned  about  the  name.  We  must 
hasten  on  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  work,  its  underlying- 
principles  and  leading  lines  and  methods  of  the  inner 
mission  work. 

a.  Hozu  distijiguished  from  Jioinc  mission  zvork. 
In  the  early  part  of  this  treatise  we  gave  the  follow- 
ing brief  definition  of  the  work :  Inner  mission  work 
is  mission  work  that  is  carried  on  in  our  own  coun- 
try (in  contradistinction  to  foreign  mission  work), 
and  consists  in  combining,  by  systematic  endeavor, 
works  of  mercy  (various  Christian  philanthropies) 
with  evangelistic  effort,  in  behalf  of  the  salvation  of 


Ch.    20.  DISTINCTION    OF    TERMS.  205 

the  physically  and  spiritually  needy  classes  of  our 
population.  In  order  to  make  any  proper  distinction 
between  home  and  inner  missions,  a  distinction  that 
will  not  be  more  confusing  than  enlightening,  em- 
phasis must,  according  to  our  opinion,  be  laid  upon 
the  feature  of  "combining,  by  systematic  endeavor, 
works  of  mercy"  with  the  ministrations  of  the  Gos- 
pel. It  is  an  erroneous  and  misleading  distinction 
that  is  made  in  Bulletin  No.  i  of  the  Lutheran  Inner 
Mission  Society  of  Philadelphia,  organized  in  1902, 
in  these  words:  ''The  latter"  (home  mission  work) 
''is  directed  to  the  gathering  and  spiritual  care  of  the 
scattered  members  of  the  household  of  faith ;  the  inner 
mission  seeks  to  reach  the  imperiled,  the  indifferent, 
the  ignorant,  and  the  fallen" ;  whereas  with  the  suc- 
ceeding sentence  wx  are  in  accord :  "It  is  still  fur- 
ther differentiated  from  home  missions  by  the  fact 
that  in  this  labor  of  love  it  combines  a  large  benevo- 
lent activity  V\nth  the  communication  of  the  Word." 
Home  mission  Vvork  actually  and  necessarily  includes 
much  more  than  is  mentioned  in  the  first  declaration. 
It  is  not  limited  to  the  scattered  members  of  the 
churches,  but  reaches  out  and  goes  after  the  un- 
churched masses  outside,  so  ministering  in  every  way 
possible  to  "the  imperiled,  the  indifferent,  the  ignor- 
ant, and  the  fallen." 

The  point  of  distinction,  as  it  seems  to  us.  lies- 
in  the  fact,  first,  that  in  the  work  of  home  missions, 
at  least  as  it  is  carried  on  in  the  Lutheran  Church, 
the  charity  work  is  more  incidental,  while  in  the  inner 
mission  work  it  is  more  prominent,  a  leading  fea- 
ture, one  of  the  main  and  engrossing  methods,  car- 
ried  on   by   systematic   endeavor    and    in    organized 


206  MISSION    STUDIES. 

forms ;  and,  secondly,  that  home  missions  have  for 
their  immediate  and  ultimate  aim  the  establishment 
of  self-supporting  churches,  while  the  inner  mission 
endeavor  is  only  a  handmaiden  and  helper  to  the 
home  missionary  enterprise  in  compassing  this  aim 
and  end  of  the  Church. 

From  all  this,  and  in  the  light  of  the  history  of 
the  work,  it  is  clear  that  it  is  not  easy  to  drav\'  the 
line  of  distinction  with  anything  like  absolute  ac- 
curacy, and  it  is  hardly  a  matter  of  wonder  that  the 
distinction  is  not  consistently  maintained  or  that  it  is 
sometimes  made  in  a  way  that  is  rather  confusing 
and  misleading.  The  fact  is,  the  activities  in  the  two 
spheres  overlap  and  are  intertwined  ;  there  are  manv 
points  of  contact  and  co-operation  between  home  mis- 
sion and  inner  mission  work. 

b.  Identified,  in  part,  with  home  mission  zvork. 
Inner  mission  work  falls  short  of  its  true  aim,  in  fact 
it  ceases  to  be  Christian  mission  work  at  all,  when 
it  fails  to  preach  the  Gospel  and  to  saturate  all  its 
charitable  activities  with  the  leaven  of  the  Gospel. 
But  this  very  ministry  is  the  distinctive  office  of  the 
Church  and  is  the  chief  reliance  in  home  mission 
work.  What  wonder,  then,  that  very  much  of  that 
which  goes  by  the  name  of  inner  mission  work  is 
done  also  by  home  missions,  and  vice  versa  ?  It  is 
not  strange,  therefore,  to  find  that,  in  nearly  all  the 
Protestant  denominations  outside  of  the  Lutheran 
Church,  inner  mission  activity  on  a  very  large  and  ex- 
tensive scale  is  included  in  their  home  missionarv  de- 
partment. It  was  most  natural,  with  them,  so  to 
classify  it.     And  there  are  some  cogent  reasons  for 


Ch.    20.  HISTORICAL    SURVEY.  207 

embracing  the  two  lines  of  Christian  work  in  the 
one  department  of  home  missions. 

And  yet  the  two  Hnes  of  work  may  profitably 
be  kept  apart  and  managed  as  separate  departments. 
Especially  is  this  so  in  the  case  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  whose  home  missionary  enterprise  in  this  coun- 
try is  so  unique,  urgent  and  extensive,  and  whose 
inner  mission  work  is  just  beginning  to  develop  in 
organized  form  and  on  a  far  larger  scale  than  it  has 
heretofore  been  attempted. 

2.  Occasion  for  inner  mission  work.  The 
question  as  to  the  conditions  that  have  given  occasion 
for  this  line  of  mission  work  lead  us  to  take  a  very 
brief,  bird's-eye  view  of  its  historical  development 
and  of  present  day  conditions  about  us. 

a.  A  summary  znezu  of  the  history  of  the  zcork.^ 
An  important  thing  to  note  is  that  inner  mission 
work  is  not  a  new  idea.  At  times  it  is  magnified  as 
though  it  were  a  discovery  of  modern  times.  It  is 
as  old  as  the  Church.  It  is  embedded  in  the  life  of 
the  Church  and  has  been  realized,  in  varying  forms 
and  measure,  in  every  era  of  the  Church's  history. 
It  was  not  wanting  even  in  the  Old  Testament  dispen- 
sation. And  in  the  fulness  of  time  Christ  set  the  ex- 
ample of  its  ampler  development.  The  Apostolic 
Church  is  a  model  for  all  time  in  this  line  of  en- 
deavor. The  spirit  of  Christian  brotherhood  and 
helpfulness  reigned  supreme.  If  one  member  sufifered, 
all  the  members  sufifered  wath  him  and  hastened  to 
his  relief.  Nor  were  the  ministries  of  mercy  confined 
to  the  membership  of  the  Church.     They  were  freely 


'For  the  literature  of  the  subject  look  up  this   depart- 
ment  in  tht.  Bibliography,  given  in  the  Appendix. 


208  MISSION    STUDIES. 

bestowed  also  upon  unbelievers  and  strangers.  There 
was  little  organization,  no  complicated  machinery,  no 
charitable  institutions  outside  of  the  churches,  but 
marked  spirituality,  living  faith,  ardent  love.  As  oc- 
casion demanded  some  orderly  arrangement  and  dis- 
tribution of  labor,  helpers  were  appointed,  deacons, 
and  later  deaconesses,  too,  to  look  after  the  temporal 
needs,  while  the  apostles  and  evangelists  devoted 
themselves  unintermittently  to  the  ministry  of  the 
Word. 

During  the  post-apostolic  period,  in  the  times  of 
general  persecutions,  the  martyr  churches  had  abund- 
ant occasion  for  the  performance  of  works  of  mercy 
in  conjunction  with  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  by 
word  and  deed,  and  loyally  did  they  measure  up  to 
their  responsibilities.  In  the  time  succeeding  the  reign 
of  Constantine,  when  the  Church  was  taken  under  the 
sheltering  arm  of  the  state  and  became  the  heir  of 
all  the  evils  as  well  as  the  benefits  resulting  from  the 
coalition,  the  work  of  charity  w^as  developed  in  or- 
ganized form,  and  charitable  institutions  were  found- 
ed by  some  of  the  leading  bishops  and  church  fathers. 
Soon  the  monasteries  and  monastic  life  came  into  ex- 
istence and  developed  both  in  the  Orient  and  in  the 
Occident.  During  a  large  part  of  the  middle  ages  the 
monasteries  and  churches  were  the  centers  of  alms- 
giving and  charity  work  on  a  grand  and  ample  scale, 
so  free  and  ample,  in  fact,  that  indiscriminate  and 
unwise  almsgiving  encouraged  and  fostered  wide- 
spread beggary.  Meanwhile  the  institutional  form 
of  the  work  was  developing  and  issuing  in  the  erec- 
tion of  many  hospitals  and  asylums  for  the  care  of 
the  sick  and  needy  of  all  classes. 


Ch.    20.  INNER    MISSIONS.  209 

In  the  time  of  the  Reformation  the  evangelical 
churches,  bereft  of  the  rich  and  ample  charities  of  the 
papal  establishment,  put  forth  heroic  efforts,  hand  in 
hand  with  the  promulgation  of  the  pure  Gospel  and 
the  spread  of  the  open  Bible,  to  provide  for  the  care 
of  the  poor  and  needy  by  supporting  them  from  the 
common  treasury.  The  Reformed  churches  in  France, 
Holland  and  Germany  organized  and  maintained  an 
efficient  diaconate,  including  men  and  women,  for 
the  systematic  prosecution  of  the  work  of  mercy. 

During  the  age  of  Pietism,  soon  to  be  followed 
by  the  period  of  rationalism  and  blighting  infidelity, 
and  this  in  turn  followed  by  a  revival  of  evangelical 
faith  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  led  by 
men  like  Spener,  Francke  and  Zinzendorf  in  Ger- 
many, and  by  the  Wesleys  and  others  in  England,  the 
work  of  organized  charity  combined  with  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  continued  to  spread.  The  work  of 
inner  missions  as  inaugurated  in  Germany  about  the 
middle  of  the  nineteenth  century  received  its  earliest 
impulses  from  similar  movements  in  England,  that 
had  been  started  earlier  and  flourished  more  freely. 
This  is  true  of  the  missionary  societies,  the  Bible  and 
tract  societies,  the  Sunday  schools,  prison  reform,  and 
city  missions.  In  all  these  lines  EngHsh  examples 
furnished  the  model  and  formed  the  incentive  for 
similar  work  in  Germany.  Under  the  leadership  of 
such  men  as  Wichern,  Fliedner,  Loehe,  Bodel- 
schwingh,  Stoecker,  Uhlhorn,  and  Schaefer,  the  in- 
ner mission  work  was  developed  in  forms  and  along 
lines  adapted  to  meet  the   surrounding  conditions. 

In  conjunction  with  Pastor  Fliedner,  the  found- 
er of  the  Deaconess   Motherhouse  and   other  charit- 


210  MISSION   STUDIES. 

able  institutions  at  Kaiserswerth,  Dr.  W.  A.  Passa- 
vant,  the  Lutheran  pioneer  of  organized  inner  mis- 
sions in  America,  put  forth  earnest  efforts  to  plant 
the  deaconess  work  on  American  soil  and  became  the 
father  and  founder  of  various  institutions  of  charity. 
Car  churches,  however,  were  not  ready  to  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  his  gigantic  stride,  and  the  work  did 
not  develop  among  them  as  otherwise  it  might  have 
done. 

b.  Conditions  today,  and  in  our  country.  Sub- 
stantially the  same  conditions  that  called  for  inner 
missionary  effort  in  every  age  exist  among  us  today. 
There  are  physically  and  spiritually  needy  people,  in 
large  numbers,  both  within  and  without  the  churches. 
Our  modern  complex  and  highly  organized  and  su- 
perheated civilization  has  not  lessened,  but  rather  in- 
creased and  aggravated,  the  woes  of  humanity.  The 
immigration  of  the  millions  of  foreigners,  Christians 
and  non-Christians,  moral  and  immoral,  virtuous  and 
vicious,  literate  and  illiterate,  into  our  land,  and  the 
tendency  of  our  entire  mixed  population  to  congre- 
gate in  the  larger  cities  and  to  swell  these  into  con- 
gested centers  of  gigantic  proportions, — these  move- 
ments, combined  with  the  greed  for  gain,  the  grind- 
ing hum  of  industry,  the  pitiless  process  of  competi- 
tion, the  tendency  to  look  down  to  the  earth  and  for- 
get heaven,  the  prevailing  neglect  of  the  religious 
training  of  the  young,  and  other  indications  of  earthly- 
mindedness,  have  rolled  upon  our  body  politic  and 
upon  our  churches  the  gravest  sort  of  problems,  eco- 
nomic, civic  and  social,  as  well  as  moral  and  religious. 

What  we  need  to  do  is  to  study  present  condi- 
tions, in  the  churches  and  outside,  and  apply  the  prin- 


Ch.    20.  GROUND    OF    INNER    MISSIONS.  211 

ciples  and  methods  of  inner  missions  accordingly. 
We  can  learn  much  from  the  highly  organized  sys- 
tem in  vogue  in  Germany,  and  our  leaders  should 
make  a  careful  study  of  the  history  and  development 
of  the  movement  there.  But  it  would  be  folly  for  us 
merely  to  copy  or  duplicate  the  arrangements  and  the 
institutions  that  have  grown  up  in  the  fatherland.  On 
the  contrary,  we  must  sift  out  fundamental  principles, 
pertinent  facts  and  suggestive  methods,  and  then 
adapt  these  to  our  own  local  conditions  and  needs. 

3.  Justification  of  mission  work  in  this  form. 
If  a  justification  is  required,  we  would  simply  point 
to  the  Gospel  of  God's  love,  the  example  of  Christ, 
and  His  missionary  command. 

a.  The  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  implanted  in  the 
heart  of  the  Christian.  It  is  the  Gospel  of  love  and 
of  salvation.  Always  and  everywhere,  it  impels  to 
deeds  of  kindness  and  mercy.  Grace  as  well  as  truth 
came  by  Jesus  Christ. 

b.  The  example  of  Christ.  He  exemplified  the 
spirit  of  the  Gospel  in  His  own  life  and  ministry  of 
love.  He  not  only  preached  the  Gospel  of  the  king- 
dom of  God,  but  went  about  doing  good,  healing  and 
helping,  drying  tears  and  mitigating  sorrows,  wher- 
ever He  went.  He  washed  the  disciples'  feet,  giving 
us  an  example  of  serving,  ministering  one  to  another, 
and  that  in  the  meek  and  lowly  spirit  of  our  great 
Teacher  and  Exemplar. 

c.  The  missionary  command.  It  is  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature  and  make  disciples  of  all 
the  nations.  But  it  is  utterly  impossible  to  apply  the 
direct  remedy  of  the  Gospel  in  many  cases  until  the 
physical  needs,  the  aches  and  ailments  of  the  body, 


212  MISSION   STUDIES. 

have  been  in  some  measure  relieved.  The  history  of 
rescue  missions  and  slum  work  is  full  of  illustrations 
of  this  practical  truth.  Our  Lord  knew  what  condi- 
tions would  be  met  with,  and  He  wants  His  disciples 
to  be  sensible  and  tactful  as  well  as  faithful  and  loyal 
to  Him  in  preaching  the  Gospel  and  extending  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

4.  The  aim  as  distinguished  from  the  methods. 
In  conclusion,  to  avoid  any  possible  misunderstanding 
as  to  the  nature,  the  scope,  and  the  legitimacy  of  the 
work,  let  the  true  aim  of  all  Christian  mission  work 
be  duly  emphasized  and  kept  in  view. 

a.  The  aim  is  salvation  from  sin  and  death.  As 
a  work  of  the  Church,  and  not  merely  a  form  of 
Christian  philanthropy,  this  is  the  aim  that  must  be 
kept  supreme  in  all  forms  of  inner  mission  work. 
The  Gospel  of  Christ  is  the  great  remedy  that  must 
be  applied  wherever  it  can  get  a  hearing.  In  many 
cases  of  need  and  distress  it  gets  a  hearing  and  a 
cordial  welcome  through  some  ministration  to  bodily 
ailments.  This,  then,  becomes  a  means  to  the  higher 
end  of  reaching  the  soul.  The  physical  is  subordi- 
nate to  the  spiritual ;  the  temporal,  to  the  eternal.  The 
works  of  mercy  are  not  in  themselves  ends,  but  means. 
Even  though  they  be  regarded  as  aims  in  a  subor- 
dinate sense  and  within  the  limited  sphere  of  a  par- 
ticular charity,  the  workers  must  be  conscious  of  their 
setting  in  the  whole  enterprise  and  of  their  relation 
to  the  ultimate  end  of  the  Gospel  and  of  the  Church. 
That  is  to  save  souls,  to  win  disciples  of  Christ  and 
to  incorporate  them,  wherever  possible,  in  the  Church. 
The  displacement  of  this  aim,  the  elevation  of  meth- 
ods and  secondary  objects  into  the  place  of  an  inde- 


Ch.    20.  METHODS    VARY.  213 

pendent  aim,  leads  to  perversion  here,  just  as  it  does 
in  foreign  missionary  work. 

b.  The  methods  vary  according  to  the  needs.  The 
relatively  large  place  of  charities  in  inner  mission 
work  does  not  change  the  matter,  nor  justify  a  modi- 
fication of  principle  in  the  case.  If  the  charities  are 
maintained  for  their  own  sake,  independently  of  the 
Gospel,  and  w^ithout  the  distinct  and  constant  presence 
and  power  of  the  Gospel,  they  deteriorate  into  phil- 
anthropies and  humanities,  they  change  their  character 
and  the  class  to  which  they  belong,  they  cease  to  be 
a  part  of  the  specific  work  of  the  Church,  they  no 
longer  belong  to  the  sphere  of  Christian  missions 
and  are  no  longer  a  part  of  the  great  and  ramified 
missionary  enterprise  which  the  Lord  of  the  harvest 
has  given  His  Church  to  do. 

Such  considerations  will  impel  the  leaders  ot  the 
movement  to  shape  their  methods  of  work  not  only 
according  to  the  needs  that  appeal  for  help,  but  also 
with  a  view  to  the  immediate  and  the  ultimate  aim. 
Any  forms  of  activity  that  leave  practically  no  room 
for  more  or  less  direct  influence  of  the  Gospel  are 
to  be  discarded  as  not  coming  within  the  scope  of  the 
Church's  inner  mission  activity.  And  when  certain 
lines  of  work  are  undertaken,  provision  will  be  made 
from  the  outset  for  the  work  and  influence  of  the 
Gospel,  to  be  carried  on  wisely  and  prudently,  with 
due  regard  for  time  and  conditions,  but  faithfully  and 
persistently,  as  good  stew^ards  of  the  manifold  grace 
of  God. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

PRINCIPAL  METHODS  OF  THE  WORK. 

I.  Congregational.  The  division  of  methods, 
attempted  here,  is  not  the  one  that  is  commonly  made 
and  accepted  in  the  standard  German  works  on  inner 
missions.  From  their  point  of  view  the  entire  woik 
is  institutional,  and  work  in  the  congregation  is  en- 
rolled as  one  of  the  forms  of  the  institutional  ac- 
tivity. And  for  them  that  idea  and  order  is  quite 
natural.  It  is  in  accord  with  the  historical  develop- 
ment of  the  enterprise  in  its  modern  form  in  Germany 
as  well  as  with  the  conditons  still  largely  prevailing  in 
the  fatherland.  But  is  it  in  harmony  with  the  situa- 
tion in  America  where  we  are  fortunately  free  from 
the  entanglements  and  limitations  in  which  the  state 
churches  of  Europe  are  involved,  and  where  we  have 
neither  occasion  nor  call  to  inaugurate  and  carry  on 
the  work  through  independent  organizations  separate 
and  apart  from  the  churches?  We  are  of  the  de- 
cided opinion  that  it  is  not.  Moreover,  from  the 
Scriptural  point  of  view,  as  we  had  occasion  to  show 
in  another  connection,  all  such  work  which  devolves 
upon  the  Church  and  belongs  to  the  sphere  of  church- 
ly  activity  should,  under  normal  conditions,  be  under 
the  control  and  supervision  of  the  churches  in  whose 
name  it  is  carried  on.  For  these  reasons  the  devel- 
opment of  the  inner  mission  enterprise,  so  far  as  it 
has  progressed  among  us,  is  different  from  that  which 
it  has  taken  in  Europe.    This  is  a  great  advantage  for 

(214) 


Ch.    21.  WORK    IN    THE    CONGREGATION.  215 

US,  and  the  advantage  should  be  consistently  followed 
up. 

a.  This  form  of  inner  mission  activity  is  of 
prime  importance.  It  is  so  from  every  point  of  view, 
whether  we  regard  it  in  the  light  of  Scripture,  or  of 
the  example  of  the  apostolic  and  early  Christian 
Church,  or  of  the  natural  order  of  development.  In 
this  sphere,  as  in  all  other  mission  work,  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  must  be  the  chief  reliance  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  end  of  Christian  missions.  And  the 
Church  is  the  divinely  planted  and  appointed  insti- 
tution for  the  propagation  of  the  Gospel  and  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  means  of  grace  in  general.  The 
Church  is,  therefore,  the  proper  body  to  train  and  send 
out  and  support  missionaries  and,  consequently,  also 
to  have  the  general  oversight  of  the  work.  This  is 
the  Scriptural  idea,  and  it  is  beautifully  exemplified  in 
the  early  Church. 

Our  congregations  would  do  well  to  make  a  more 
earnest  study  of  the  spirit  and  work  of  the  apostolic 
churches.  It  was  springtide  in  the  Church,  the  sea- 
son of  new  life  and  freshness,  of  vigor  and  beauty,  of 
health  and  hope.  It  is  like  a  cooling  breeze  from  the 
mountains  to  read  the  plain  record  of  this  purling  life 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  There  we  find  such 
phrases  and  statements  as  these :  With  one  accord ; 
they  continued  steadfastly  in  the  apostles'  doctrine 
and  fellowship,  and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in 
prayers ;  they  lifted  up  their  voice  to  God  with  one 
accord ;  all  that  believed  were  together  and  had  all 
things  common ;  they  were  of  one  heart  and  of  one 
soul ;  they  attended  to  the  work  with  gladness  and 
singleness  of  heart.    And  so  we  are  prepared  to  read, 


216  MISSION    STUDIES. 

further,  that,  praising  God,  they  had  "favor  with  all 
the  people",  and  ''great  grace  was  upon  them  all.'' 
Is  there  not  in  all  this  a  lesson  for  our  time?  Ought 
it  not  at  least  to  act  as  a  check  upon  our  distracted 
strenuosity  and  as  a  spiritual  tonic  for  our  disjointed 
congregational  life?  It  is  the  spirit,  the  spirit  of  life 
and  love,  that  we  must  try  to  copy  and  cultivate,  not 
the  particular  forms  of  expression  and  application. 
The  latter  vary  and  must  be  adapted  to  the  varying 
conditions  of  the  times. 

What  would  naturally  result  if  the  spirit  of  apos- 
tolic Christianity  could  be  made  to  prevail  in  our 
churches  and  to  permeate  all  our  churchly  activity? 
First  of  all,  more  voluntary  personal  service  and  help- 
fulness. That  is  the  very  thing  that  is  so  largely  lack- 
ing, sadly  lacking,  in  our  modern  churchly  life.  If 
any  need  appears,  and  some  special  distress  calls  for 
relief,  the  first  thought  is  the  formation  of  a  society 
to  combat  the  evil.  We  are  inclined  to  substitute 
machinery  for  spirituality.  Many  are  ready  to  give 
large  sums  of  money,  but  very  few  are  willing  to 
bestow  personal  service.  Giving  money  is  far  better 
than  doing  nothing,  and  in  many  cases  it  is  all  that 
is  called  for.  It  is  one  of  the  ways  in  which  the  in- 
dividual can  make  his  help  effective.  Very  much 
work  v/e  must  do  by  proxy.  But  it  is  a  distinct  loss 
and  an  evidence  of  declining  vigor  in  our  churches 
that  there  is  comparatively  so  little  direct,  personal, 
spontaneous  work  and  so  much  inclination  to  drift 
into  the  institutional  and  official  form  of  activitv."^ 


'  For  stimulating  and  helpful  paragraphs  on  individual 
effort  and  personal  service,  read  Grose's  The  Incoming 
Millions,  p.  112  ff.  and  p.  124  fif. 


Ch.    21  HOW    TO    BEGIN.  217 

b.  Hoiv  the  ivork  may  he  begun.  In  many  con- 
gregations it  doesn't  need  to  be  begun,  but  simply 
fostered  and  developed.  Not  a  few  churches  in 
nearly  all  the  Christian  denominations  are  carrying 
on  extensive  operations  in  the  sphere  of  inner  mis- 
sion work.  There  are  interested  and  industrious 
bands  of  workers  in  many  congregations.  Still  there 
is  large  room  for  improvement  and  advance,  for  a 
more  general  and  more  efficient  prosecution  of  the 
work. 

There  is  need  of  arousing  in  our  churches  a  more 
general  consciousness  of  the  crying  ills  and  the  op- 
portunities for  effective  work  in  relieving  them  in  all 
communities  as  well  as  in  the  country  at  large.  We 
need  to  be  aroused  out  of  our  churchly  ease  and 
comforts  and  complacency  and  made  to  cultivate  a 
keener  sense  of  individual  responsibility  in  church 
work.  In  a  suggestive  paragraph  on  "the  futility  of 
mere  church-going,"  the  Sunday  School  Times  in  a 
recent  issue  made  this  true  remark :  "The  test  of 
the  efficiency  of  the  church  is  shown  by  hov/  much  of 
the  Gospel  gets  beyond  the  church  walls  into  the 
lives  of  the  unsaved  world  just  outside."  And  a 
leaflet,  entitled,  "Who  Cares?"  published  by  the  Na- 
tional Bible  Institute,  New  York,  after  calling  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  in  New  York  City  alone  fully 
one  and  a  half  millions  of  people  are  unaffiliated 
with  any  church  whatever,  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of 
the  churches  to  take  the  Gospel  to  them,  remarks : 
*Tt  is  our  deliberate  opinion  that  the  vast  majority  of 
those  who  are  in  the  Christian  churches  in  America 
today  are  so  occupied  with  the  things  of  self,  so  desti- 
tute of  the  essential  Christian  quality  of  aggressive- 


218  MISSION   STUDIES. 

ness,  so  blind  to  the  awful  havoc  sin  is  working  in 
the  lives  of  our  fellowmen,  that  it  may  rightly  be  said 
of  us,  'You  do  not  care.'  Unless  we  repent,  these 
sins  of  neglect  and  lukewarmness  and  indifference 
will  rise  up  in  the  judgment  against  us." 

The  first  thing  to  be  done,  after  a  live  interest 
has  been  aroused,  is  to  look  around  in  the  parish  and 
immediate  community,  in  one's  own  neighborhood, 
with  an  eye  open  to  see  the  opportunities  near  at  hand. 
Here  is  a  field  of  service  for  the  women's  societies  of 
our  churches,  especially,  and  it  is  a  sphere  that  has 
remained  largely  unworked.  There  are  in  many  con- 
gregations women's  aid  societies,  and  women's  mis- 
sionary societies,  that  put  forth  laudable  endeavors 
in  behalf  of  the  general  work  of  the  church,  but  fail 
utterly  in  the  ministry  of  mercy  among  the  sick  and 
needy,  the  indifferent  and  neglected,  in  their  own 
neighborhoods.  As  soon  as  such  work  that  calls  so 
loudly  for  workers  is  earnestly  begun,  it  will  open 
the  way  for  the  appointment  of  trained  lay  helpers  in 
many  places.  The  busy  women  of  our  congregations 
might,  upon  studying  the  situation  and  arranging 
their  forces,  do  much  more  work  than  they  have  as 
yet  undertaken  in  the  way  of  systematic  work  in  be- 
half of  the  needy  classes  round  about  them.  And  in 
smaller  congregations  and  rural  communities  that 
might  be  sufficient  for  all  practical  purposes.  But 
in  the  larger  fields  there  would  soon  be  a  call  for 
special  workers  and  trained  helpers.  This  would 
open  the  way  for  the  appointment,  first  of  all,  of 
deaconesses  and  kindergarten  teachers,  whose  duties 
as  Christian  teachers,  visitors,  nurses,  and  the  like, 
would  vary  according  to  the  needs  and  opportunities 


Cll.    21  CHURCHES    IN    THE    CITY.  219 

of  the  local  field.  From  such  a  beginning  the  work 
would,  in  some  parishes,  develop  to  still  larger  propor- 
tions along  various  lines  of  inner  mission  activity.  In 
congregational  activity  maintained  in  this  spirit  care 
would  have  to  be  taken  to  encourage  and  engage  the 
lay  forces  of  the  congregation  as  indispensable  aids  to 
the  official  workers  so  as  to  preserve  and  foster  the 
spirit  of  spontaneous  and  personal  helpfulness. 

c.  Large  city  churches.  The  largeness  of  the 
opportunities  of  the  larger  churches  in  the  teeming 
centers  of  our  population  deserves  some  particular 
consideration.  Not  all  the  larger  Protestant  denom- 
inations of  America  have  shown  the  wisdom  and 
farsightedness  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  oc- 
cupying the  great  stragetic  centers.  Some  of  them 
in  fact,  notably  the  Lutheran  Church,  have  been  ex- 
ceedingly slow  and  remiss  in  grasping  the  situation 
and  placing  their  forces  and  fortresses  in  positions 
most  favorable  for  effective  service.  The  trend  of 
events  is  too  plain  to  be  misunderstood.  The  church 
of  the  future  is  the  church  that  faithfully  cares  for 
the  religious  training  of  its  children  and  establishes 
itself  strongly  in  the  large  cities  of  the  land.  In 
both  directions  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  is  setting 
an  example  that  Protestants  may  study  with  consid- 
erable profit. 

And  what  of  the  churches  in  the  large  cities? 
Of  what  consequence  are  they  as  missionary  centers 
among  the  masses  and  the  classes  that  surge  about 
them  ?  That  is  the  great  question  for  the  city  churches 
to  consider,  and  to  do  so  with  a  vigor  and  earnest- 
ness that  is  in  some  degree  commensurate  with  the 
seriousness    and   urgency   of   the  problem    proposed. 


220  MISSION   STUDIES. 

But  not  upon  these  heavily  burdened  city  churches 
alone  does  the  solution  of  the  problem  devolve.  It 
is  a  matter  that  vitally  concerns  the  entire  Church 
and  the  whole  country.  And  so  the  city  churches 
should  receive  adequate  support  from  the  other  affil- 
iated churches  of  the  body  to  which  they  belong. 

It  behooves  the  churches  in  the  growing  cities  to 
exercise  prudence  and  foresight  in  "swarming,"'  send- 
ing out  new  colonies,  and  occupying  the  most  promis- 
ing positions  for  future  growth.  This  is  done  by  the 
planting  of  Sunday  schools  and  missions  in  different, 
parts  of  the  city.  The  success  of  this  work  depends 
largely  upon  the  faithfulness  and  loyalty  of  those  who 
are  responsible  for  its  maintenance.  Unless  it  re- 
ceives the  attention  that  it  demands,  unless,  for  ex- 
ample, the  older  church  members  are  willing  to 
identify  themselves  and  their  churchly  interests  with 
the  work  of  the  mission  that  has  been  started  in  their 
locality,  and  unless  the  mother  church  is  willing  to 
make  large  sacrifices  for  the  welfare  of  these  new 
households  of  faith,  they  are  likely  to  drag  on  an 
uncertain  existence  for  a  long  time  and  be  the  source 
of  much  discouragement  and  worry.  It  may  be  in- 
structive, in  this  connection,  to  note  the  opinion  and 
testimony  of  one  of  the  larger  church  papers,  favor- 
ably situated  for  the  gathering  of  reliable  informa- 
tion on  the  subject. 

'*Our  city  missions,'"  said  The  Christian  Advo- 
cate of  New  York  in  a  recent  issue,  "are  mostly  a 
disgrace  to  us.  And  the  people  whom  we  are  at- 
tempting to  reach  know  it.  Their  minds  are  often 
quite  as  keen  as  ours.  The  trouble  with  our  churches 
is  that  they  are  not  willing  to  spend  sufficient  money 


Ch.    21.  HOME    AND    INNER     MISSIONS.  221 

and  to  show  a  real  interest  in  these  city  mission  ef- 
forts. A  rich  city  church,  with  a  home  of  its  own 
costing  thousands  of  dollars,  carpeted,  cushioned, 
adorned  with  rich  pews,  pipe-organ,  and  stained  win- 
dows, will  have  as  a  'mission'  a  wretched,  unpainted 
hut  on  a  side  street,  alongside  negro  cabins,  with  bat- 
tered chairs,  worn-out  hymnals,  no  facilities  for  Sun- 
day school  work  or  the  physical  comfort  of  the 
children,  and  expect  the  'poor'  to  crowd  into  it.  The 
kind  of  poor  we  have  in  our  cities  of  moderate  size 
will  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  Nor  can  they  be  blamed. 
Neither  will  they  go  to  service  in  the  rich  church 
itself — at  least  not  till  their  wages  have  increased  till 
they  can  dress  as  they  see  others  dress." 

Now,  the  organizing  of  Sunday  schools  and  the 
planting  of  churches  is  the  work  of  home  missions, 
according  to  the  distinction  we  have  made.  But  this 
is  the  direct  basis  for  the  prosecution  of  inner  mission 
activity  as  well.  It  brings  the  larger  and  stronger 
churches  into  touch  with  the  classes  who  need  to  be 
reached  and  helped  through  the  various  ministries 
that  may  be  set  in  operation  for  the  carrying  on  of 
the  redemptive  and  benevolent  work  of  the  Church. 

The  ''institutional  church"  is  one  of  the  modern 
attempts  to  solve  the  problem  of  city  evangelization. 
We  cannot  here  enter  upon  a  discussion  of  its  merits 
and  faults,  its  strength  and  its  weakness.  But  what- 
ever we  may  think  of  it,  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  can 
teach  us  some  needed  lessons  with  reference  to  the 
adaptation  of  the  Church's  ministrations  to  present 
day  conditions  and  along  lines  that  may  properly  and 
profitably  be  undertaken  in  the  development  of  inner 
mission  work  in  the  large  cities. 


222  MISSION    STUDIES. 

d.  City  missions  and  inner  mission  societies. 
The  term  ''city  missions"  is  commonly  used  among  us 
in  two  senses,  now  in  the  home  missionary  sense  of 
gathering  and  building  up  congregations,  and  again 
in  the  sense  which  it  has  in  the  sphere  of  inner  mis- 
sion activity,  that  of  constituting  the  center  of  exten- 
sive and  varied  operations  that  bear  an  evangelistic, 
diaconal  and  reformatory  character.  This  work  is  ex- 
tensively carried  on  in  all  the  large  cities  of  Europe 
and  America.  The  Berlin  city  mission,  for  example, 
recently  celebrated  its  thirty-first  anniversary  and  re- 
ports in  its  employ  7  inspectors,  50  city  missionaries 
and  II  women  assistants. 

"In  spite  of  the  fact,"  writes  Dr.  S.  L.  Morris,^ 
"that  all  denominations  are  building  up  great  churches 
in  the  city,  thoroughly  alive  seemingly  to  the  wants 
of  humanity  and  the  interests  of  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  it  yet  remains  an  awful  fact  which  we  cannot 
ignore,  that  the  great  masses  have  drifted  away  and 
are  dying  without  Christ,  under  the  very  shadow  of 
the  Church.  Is  it  not  equally  true — perhaps  the  ex- 
planation of  it  all — that  the  Church  has  drifted  away 
from  the  masses?  ....  The  rich,  benevolent 
people  of  our  city  churches  see  the  needs  of  the  slums 
and  are  willing  to  give  of  their  abundance  for  the 
needy  whom,  alas,  their  money  can  seldom  reach. 
Multitudes  will  give  money.  They  need  to  give  some- 
thing more  valuable  than  this.'' 

We  mention  city  missions  and  inner  mission  so- 
cieties under  the  head  of  congregational  operations, 
because  we  hold  that  these,  in  particular,  of  all  the 
forms   of   organized   inner   missions   should   stand   in 

'  At  Our  Own  Door,  p.  78  ff. 


Ch.    21.  CITY    MISSIONS.  223 

direct  relation  and  constant  communication  with  the 
churches. 

So  far  as  the  work  has  developed  in  the  Lutheran 
Church  on  American  soil  this  principle  has  been  sub- 
stantially observed.  There  are  in  connection  with 
different  synods  four  regularly  organized  mission  so- 
cieties, with  headquarters  in  Philadelphia,  Pittsburg, 
Chicago  and  Minneapolis.  One  illustration  may  suf- 
fice to  show  the  manner  of  work  observed  in  city  mis- 
sions under  the  direction  of  these  societies.  The  Phil- 
adelphia society  thus  announces  the  character  of  its 
work  on  a  card  which  is  freely  distributed  throughout 
the  city:  "The  Lutheran  City  Mission  furnishes 
missionaries  for  religious  services  in  the  charitable, 
reformatory  and  penal  institutions  of  the  city,  or  for 
private  spiritual  ministrations  among  those  who  are 
without  pastoral  care,  especially  when  such  persons 
are,  or  have  been,  identified  with  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Other  helpful  services  rendered  as  far  as 
possible."  At  the  present  time  services  are  being  held, 
from  time  to  time,  in  twenty-four  different  institu- 
tions. The  superintendent  and  his  assistants  visit 
the  sick  in  hospitals,  the  aged  and  infirm  in  homes, 
and  prisoners  in  their  cells.  They  minister  in  a  va- 
riety of  ways  to  the  poor  and  neglected,  the  indif- 
ferent and  the  fallen.  They  aid  convalescents,  the 
aged  and  dependent,  and  orphaned  children  by  secur- 
ing for  them  temporary  or  permanent  homes. 

One  of  the  aims  of  the  general  or  synodical  so- 
cieties is  to  encourage  the  organization  of  congre- 
gational societies  for  systematic  neighborhood  visita- 
tion, for  work  among  children  and  the  young  in  gen- 
eral,  by    conducting    day    nurseries,    kindergartens. 


224  MISSION   STUDIES. 

reading  rooms  for  boys  and  young  men,  sewing 
schools  for  girls,  and  the  like,  for  the  relief  of  the 
indigent  sick  and  the  worthy  poor,  and  for  whatever 
other  ministrations  of  love  may  be  practicable. 
Among  the  objects  of  these  societies  is  that  of  stim- 
ulating missionary  activity  and  encouraging  works  of 
mercy  in  their  own  congregations. 

2.  Institutional.  The  development  of  works 
of  mercy  in  our  congregations  leads  naturally  and  in- 
evitably to  the  establishment  of  institutions  of  various 
kinds.  Forms  of  work  are  developed  which  tran- 
scend, in  character  and  size,  individual  and  congrega- 
tional ability,  and  which  can  be  carried  on  efficiently 
only  by  means  of  suitable  institutions. 

We  do  not  undertake  here  to  present  anything 
like  a  complete  list  of  the  charitable  institutions  that 
may  be  or  that  have  already  been  established  to  this 
end.  In  this  department  we  must  refer  the  reader  to 
the  literature  on  the  subject,  typical  and  helpful  ex- 
amples of  which  are  given  in  the  BibHography  at  the 
end  of  the  book. 

By  way  of  a  summary,  and  to  give  some  idea  of 
the  ground  to  be  covered,  we  will  merely  mention 
three  groups  of  institutions  that  are  of  chief  impor- 
tance in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  of  inner  mis- 
sions. 

a.  Training  schools  for  workers.  These  are 
called  for  by  the  very  nature  of  the  work.  And  a 
great  many  have  been  established  and  are  maintained 
by  different  churches  in  various  cities.  They  prepare 
workers  of  every  class,  men  and  women,  settlement 
and  slum  workers,  deaconesses,  women  missionaries 
and  teachers,  nurses,  and  others.     In  the  Lutheran 


Ch.    21.  INSTITUTIONS    OF    MERCY.  225 

Church  there  have  been  estabHshed  nine  deaconess 
motherhouses  which  serve  both  as  training  schools 
for  the  preparation  of  deaconesses  and  as  centers  and 
homes  from  which  these  workers  go  forth,  and  to 
which  they  look  for  direction  and  support.  The  dea- 
conesses serve  as  teachers  in  schools,  nurses  in  hos- 
pitals, and  helpful  workers  in  congregations. 

b.  Charitable  institutions.  Of  these  there  is  a 
large  variety,  aiming  to  meet  the  wants  of  every  form 
of  need.  They  are  variously  classified.  There  are 
schools  for  the  care  and  training  of  the  young,  in- 
cluding nurseries  and  kindergartens,  day  schools, 
night  schools,  industrial  schools,  etc. ;  shelters  and 
homes  for  the  safeguarding  and  protection  of  those 
who  are  in  special  danger,  as  shelters  for  girls  out  of 
employment,  hospices  for  young  men,  and  the  like ; 
rescue  missions  of  various  description,  Magdalen 
homes,  reformatories,  etc. ;  asylums  for  the  care  of  the 
sick  and  afflicted,  hospitals,  homes  for  the  aged  and 
infirm  as  well  as  for  the  orphans,  asylums  for  epi- 
leptics, the  deaf  and  dumb,  the  blind  and  crippled, 
the  feeble-minded  and  insane,  etc. ;  and  also  special 
missions  for  particular  classes,  as  seamen's  missions 
and  immigrant  missions. 

In  all  these  and  many  other  forms  the  work  of 
mercy  is  being  carried  on  in  our  country.  The  home 
missionary  societies  of  many  of  the  Protestant 
churches  support  missions  at  the  leading  seaports  in 
behalf  of  the  incoming  foreigners,  ministering  in  this 
way  to  some  fifteen  to  twenty  nationalities.  The  Lu- 
theran Church  is  maintaining  24  homes  for  the  aged, 
36  hospitals,  63  orphanages,  9  deaconess  institutions, 
12  immigrant  and   seam.en's  missions.  6  hospices   or 


226  MISSION    STUDIES. 

Christian  inns,  5  city  missions,  and  13  other  enter- 
prises, including  settlement  work  and  slum  missions. 
c.  The  dissemination  of  Christian  literature.  In 
this  sphere  much  remains  to  be  done  by  way  of  ex- 
tending and  perfecting  the  present  operations  of  the 
churches.  The  denominational  publishing  houses  are 
producing  a  large  amount  of  valuable  and  timely  lit- 
erature. But  very  few  churches  have  adequate  means 
for  the  distribution  of  suitable  literature  among  and 
in  behalf  of  the  spiritually  indifferent  classes.  In 
some  of  the  cities  of  Europe  printed  sermons  and 
leaflets  are  distributed  every  Lord's  Day  and  at  other 
times  by  the  hundreds  of  thousands,  and  colportage 
is  a  form  of  inner  mission  work  that  is  maintained 
on  a  grand  scale. 

We  will  close  this  section  with  a  few  pertinent 
extracts  from  "The  Incoming  Millions" :  "Be  a  mis- 
sionary. Do  not  stop  with  being  a  member  of  a  mis- 
sionary society  and  a  contributor  to  its  funds.  .  .  . 
Do  some  personal  missionary  work.  ...  To  be  a 
missionary  is  the  surest  way  to  do  your  part  to 
awaken  your  church  to  its  duty  and  to  quicken  its 
spiritual  life."  Very  much  of  this  work,  particularly 
that  in  local  parishes,  falls  to  the  lot  of  Christian 
women,  as  the  only  persons  who  can  render  the  need- 
ful services.  'Tt  will  be  a  blessed  day  for  America 
when  a  multitude  of  good  women  come  to  realize 
with  impelling  force  that  the  missionary  meeting  that 
needs  most  to  be  held  is  that  of  a  devoted  Christian 
woman  of  refinement  and  culture  with  her  needy  and 
homesick  and  isolated  sister  from  a  far-awav  land, 
who  lacks  nothing  so  much  as  a  bit  of  womanly 
sympathy  and  cheer." 


in,    THE  NURTURE  OF  MISSIONARY 
LIFE  IN  THE  HOME  CHURCH.^ 


CHAPTER  XXIL 
THE  MISSIONARY  LIFE. 

I.  A  vital  issue.  The  development  of  mission- 
ary life  among  us  is  emphatically  a  z'ital  issue, — a  life 
question  in  at  least  two  important  regards :  in  the 
sense  of  having  to  do  with  the  nurture  of  spiritual 
life  and  the  apprehension  of  life  eternal,  and  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  its  solution  will  engage  our  closest 
attention  and  vital  energies  during  our  whole  life. 
If  we  apprehend  the  matter  in  this  light,  we  will  not 
soon  reach  a  stage  when  we  feel  that  further  study 
of  the  theme  is  superfluous,  but  we  will  welcome 
whatever  stimulates  us  to  faithfulness  in  the  perfor- 
mance of  our  duty  and  promises  to  increase  our  ef- 
ficiency as  laborers  together  with  God  in  the  work  of 
His  kingdom. 

The  zntality  of  the  Church  depends  on  its  being 
missionary.    ''Its  life's  blood,"  as  Bishop  Selwyn  has 


^  For  helpful  literature  on  the  subjects  of  this  section 
consult :  Warneck,  Missionslehre  II,  ch.  21 ;  a  work  of  his 
entitled,  Die  Belebung  des  Missionssinnes  in  der  Heimat,  1878, 
is  out  of  print ;  Hesse,  Die  Mission  auf  der  Kanzel ;  Mott, 
The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions,  and  The  Evangelization 
of  the  World  in  this  Generation ;  Adams,  The  Missionary 
Pastor ;  Brown,  The  Foreign  Missionary,  ch.  XII ;  Thomp- 
son, Foreign  Missions,  lectures  V.,  VI.,  and  VII;  Stein,  Was 
will  die  innere  Mission?     lecture  VIII. 

(227) 


228  MISSION    STUDIES. 

truly  said,  "would  lose  its  vital  power,  if  it  never 
flowed  to  the  extremities,  but  curdled  at  the  heart." 
And  as  Secretary  Brown  reminds  his  readers :  "Here 
is  one  cause  of  the  poverty  of  spiritual  life.  The 
Church  is  living  too  much  for  itself."^ 

The  reflex  influences  of  missions  upon  the  life 
of  the  home  churches  comes  under  this  head  and 
should  be  duly  emphasized.  The  following  paragraph 
from  the  Sunday  School  Times  is  directly  to  the 
point:  "Religion  is  a  thing  that  spoils  by  keeping. 
It  is  as  little  meant  to  be  bottled  and  preserved  as  is 
the  air  of  heaven.  In  the  year  1812,  the  Amer- 
ican Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions 
asked  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  for  a  charter, 
and  it  was  refused.  The  main  objection  was  that  this 
organization  was  designed  to  afford  means  of  ex- 
porting religion,  whereas  there  was  none  too  much  of 
that  article  to  spare  from  among  ourselves..  To  this 
the  petitioners  made  the  unanswerable  reply  that  re- 
ligion was  an  article  of  which  the  more  v/e  exported, 
the  more  VvC  had.  Finally  their  request  was  heeded, 
to  the  eternal  benefit  of  the  home  field  as  well  as 
the  foreign.  Neither  churches  nor  men  can  live 
spiritually  unless  they  export  their  religion.  All  the 
good  we  have  must  be  kept  moving.  He  may  take 
the  Christianity  who  will,  but  he  that  hoards  it  loses 
it,  while  he  that  gives  it  out  has  it  the  more  abun- 
dantly.'' 

The  essential  and  fundamental  character  of 
missionary  work,  its  place  in  Christianity  and  the 
Christian  life,  has  been  clearly  shown.  Aside  from 
the  preservation  of  the  truth  and  the  maintenance  of 


^The    Foreign    Missionary,   p.   233. 


Ch.    22.  VITALITY    OF     MISSIONS.  229 

the  true  doctrines  of  salvation  according  to  God's 
Word,  the  missionary  enterprise  is  the  main  work  of 
the  Church.  In  order  that  it  may  be  done,  there  must 
be  missionary  hfe  in  the  Church.  And  that  Hfe,  Hke 
all  life,  must  be  fostered  and  furthered,  if  it  is  to  be 
maintained  and  perpetuated. 

Missionary  life  is  the  throbbing  heart  of  mission- 
ary work.  It  is  the  driving  wheel  that  keeps  all  the 
other  wheels  in  motion.  No  natural  force  can  take 
the  place  of  this  vital,  spiritual  energy.  Here  the 
word  applies,  "Whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin."  No 
natural  genius  or  human  ingenuity  can  accomplish 
the  work  which  God  has  assigned  to  the  humble  be- 
liever. When,  as  is  so  frequently  the  case,  for  the 
carrying  on  of  the  Lord's  work  appeals  are  made  to 
the  flesh,  and  resort  is  had  to  carnal  methods  and 
measures,  there  may  be  apparent  success  in  that  the 
immediate  object  seems  to  have  been  gained,  but  we 
may  rest  assured  that  appearances  deceive,  and  such 
efforts  will  end  in  dismal  failure.  Efforts  that  are 
not  in  harmony  with  the  Gospel,  are  not  prompted  by 
faith  nor  supported  by  divine  promises,  cannot  be 
successful.  They  are  without  the  blessing  of  God, 
and  they  cannot  redound  to  His  glory.  One  of  the 
ever  present  and  pressing  needs  in  mission  work  is 
money.  We  should  not  be  afraid  to  tell  our  people  so 
and  lay  this  burden  as  a  divine  call  upon  their  hearts. 
But  the  very  effort  to  raise  the  money  that  is  needed 
for  the  carrying  on  of  the  Lord's  work,  and  which  He 
expects  His  people  to  lay  as  thank-offerings  at  His 
feet,  may  be  made  in  such  a  way  as  to  obstruct  and 
stunt  rather  than  promote  and  foster  the  growth  of 
spiritual  life,  thus  defeating  the  very  object  which  it 


230  MISSION    STUDIES. 

was  intended  to  serve.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in  the  mis- 
sion cause,  we  need  to  lift  up  our  eyes  and  take  a 
broad  and  far-reaching  view  of  the  matter,  lest  we 
become  guilty  of  the  folly  and  error  of  trying  to  reap 
where  we  have  not  sown,  or  expecting  to  reap  grapes 
of  thorns  or  figs  of  thistles.  We  should  under  cer- 
tain circumstances  be  less  solicitous  about  immediate 
results  than  we  are  about  remoter  effects,  less  solic- 
itous, for  example,  about  securing  a  contribution  now 
than  about  guarding  and  promoting  a  spiritual  condi- 
tion that  will  prompt  a  person  to  make  sacrifices 
whenever  the  Lord  calls  for  them. 

2.  A  work  of  divine  grace.  Wherever  there 
is  true  missionary  life,  it  has  been  wrought  of  God, 
has  been  called  into  existence  and  is  developed  and 
fostered  by  His  grace  and  Spirit.  This  is  impHed  in 
the  very  nature  of  the  missionary  life.  It  is  the  spir- 
itual life  of  the  regenerate  soul  in  action,  impelling 
the  Christian  to  live  in  accordance  with  his  profes- 
sion, in  the  obedience  of  faith,  to  do  God's  holy  will, 
to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the  work  of  extending  the 
kingdom  of  God. 

We  must  not  be  satisfied  with  a  momentary  in- 
terest and  impulse,  nor  deceived  by  spasmodic  efforts 
and  fitful  enthusiasm.  Missionary  life  implies  far 
more  than  a  knowledge  of  facts  and  conditions  in  the 
sphere  of  missions,  an  occasional  contribution  to  mis- 
sion work,  niitural  sympathy  with  people  in  distress, 
willingness  to  feed  and  clothe  the  beggar  at  the  door, 
and  the  like.  Our  conception  of  missionary  life  is 
radical,  in  that  it  aims  to  go  to  the  root  of  the  mat- 
ter. It  joins  the  workmen  with  the  Lord  whose  work 
thev  are  to  do,  in  whom  thev  live,  and  without  whom 


Ch.    22.  WORK    OF    DIVINE    GRACE.  231 

they  can  do  nothing.  Missionary  life  is  faith  appHed 
and  exercised,  or  the  dynamics  of  the  inner  man. 
There  can  be  no  true  missionary  life,  no  healthy  and 
abiding  impulses,  desires,  purposes  and  products 
along  missionary  lines,  where  there  is  no  living  faitl^ 
and  spiritual  life.  And  there  is  no  healthy  and  vig- 
orous and  intelligent  spiritual  life  that  does  not 
sooner  or  later,  according  to  its  opportunities,  seek 
and  find  channels  of  activity  that  exhibit  its  mission- 
ary character. 

The  history  of  missions  is  full  of  proofs  and  ex- 
amples of  the  intimate  correspondence  between  vital 
godliness  and  missionary  interest  and  zeal.  Wherever, 
in  periods  of  spiritual  decline  and  decay  and  religious 
stagnation,  there  has  been  a  revival  of  faith  and  piety, 
a  spiritual  awakening  and  a  season  of  refreshing  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord,  the  new  life  has  always  ap- 
plied and  expended  itself  in  the  interest  of  soul-sav- 
ing, in  the  spread  of  the  Gospel  and  the  extension  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  Instructive  illustrations  may 
be  found  in  the  career  and  work  of  such  men  as 
Francke,  Gossner,  Harms,  George  Miiller,  Hudson 
Taylor,  and  many  others. 

Since  missionary  life  implies  and  requires  a  re- 
generate heart  and  cannot  be  maintained  without  a 
living  faith  that  "worketh  by  love,"  it  is  just  as  much, 
as  truly  and  fully,  the  work  of  divine  grace  as  is  con- 
version and  sanctification.  If  this  fundamental  truth, 
certain  and  undeniable  as  it  is,  is  held  not  merely  as 
a  theory,  but  becomes  within  us  a  dominant  convic- 
tion, it  will  necessarily  wield  a  powerful  influence  in 
shaping  our  conduct  with  reference  to  the  awakening 
and  fostering  of  missionary  life.     We  will  then  place 


232  MISSION    STUDIES. 

our  dependence  not  on  organization,  numbers,  ex- 
ternal arrangements,  appeals  to  the  flesh,  or  any 
human  devices,  but  upon  the  living  God  and  the  Word 
of  His  grace  which  is  able  to  build  up  saints  and 
save  and  reclaim  sinners.  As  we  wait  upon  the  Lord 
and  trust  in  His  saving  grace  to  bless  the  Word  of 
truth  and  make  this  incorruptible  seed  fruitful  in  the 
enlightenment  and  ingathering  of  souls,  so  we  look  to 
Him  for  spiritual  quickening,  for  a  deepening  of  de- 
votion and  an  increase  of  interest  and  zeal  in  aggres- 
sive missionary   enterprise. 

When  Henry  Martyn,  as  he  lay  burning  with 
fever  in  Persia,  received  a  letter  asking  how  the  mis- 
sionary interest  of  the  Church  at  home  could  be  in- 
creased, the  dying  missionary,  whose  brief  career  had 
been  spent  in  consuming  zeal  for  the  extension  of 
God's  kingdom,  replied :  "Tell  them  to  live  more 
with  Christ ;  to  catch  more  of  His  spirit ;  for  the 
spirit  of  Christ  is  the  spirit  of  missions,  and  the 
nearer  we  get  to  Him  the  more  intensely  missionary 
we  must  become." 


CHAPTER  XXIIL 

THE  NURTURE  OF  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  THE 
CHURCH  AT  LARGE. 

I.  By  joint  effort  of  the  affiliated  congrega- 
tions. There  is  a  strong  tendency  in  our  day  to 
advocate  and  attempt  to  form  large  unions  of  forces, 
denominational  and  inter-denominational  combina- 
tions, and  the  like.  Some  are  wise,  and  some  are 
otherwise.  There  is  no  reason  why  churches  that 
hold  the  same  faith,  that  are  separated  by  no  matters 
of  conscience  or  Scriptural  principles,  but  merely  by 
matters  of  opinion,  preference  or  church  polity, 
should  not  unite  for  the  more  successful  prosecution 
of  the  larger  church  enterprises.  That  is  a  matter 
for  Christian  love,  coupled  with  wisdom,  to  decide. 
But  these  are  not  the  most  important  unions  in  the 
Church,  by  any  means.  Far  more  important  is  it  to 
urge  and  labor  in  the  direction  of  united  effort  in  the 
congregations  themselves,  and  in  the  larger,  general 
bodies  to  which  these  congregations  may  belong. 
Congregational  and  synodical  loyalty  and  unity,  the 
vitalization  and  compactness  of  all  the  members  with- 
in these  spheres. — this  is  the  issue  of  prime  impor- 
tance. And  there  are  two  points  that  we  would  es- 
pecially emphasize :  a.  the  importance  of  the  individ- 
ual ;  and  h.  the  pastor  as  missionary  leader. 

The  reason  for  considering  these  points  here, 
rather  than  in  the  succeeding  chapter,  is  obvious. 
Both  factors  are  equally  important  in  the  work  of 
the  Church  at  large  and  in  that  of  the  congregation. 

(233) 


234  MISSION    STUDIES. 

We  depend,  under  God,  upon  the  interest  and  loyalty 
of  our  members  and  look,  in  the  main,  to  our  pastors 
for  leadership  in  both  spheres. 

a.  The  importance  of  the  individual.  We  have 
had  occasion  to  refer  to  this  before,  but  repetition  of 
the  fact  is  not  superfluous.  The  importance  of  the  in- 
dividual is  too  often  and  too  easily  lost  in  the  contem- 
plation of  the  mass.  This  or  that  is  pointed  out  as  the 
duty  and  work  of  the  Church,  a  resolution  is  passed  by 
the  proper  body,  some  enterprise  is  undertaken,  and  it 
is  expected  that  the  work  will  be  done  as  it  has  been 
enthusiastically  resolved  upon ; — but,  the  result  is 
often  disappointing,  why?  Simply  because  there  are 
too  many  members,  congregations  and  pastors  who 
fail  to  feel  with  sufficient  intensity  that  the  doing  of 
it  depends  and  devolves  in  part  upon  them.  One  of 
the  problems  in  church  work  is,  how  to  reach  and 
rouse  and  enlist  the  individual  member.  What  makes 
some  little  missions  strong  is  the  fact  that  every  mem- 
ber is  a  worker;  and  what  makes  many  a  large  and 
well-to-do  congregation  weak  is  the  fact  that  it  has 
so  many  members  who  are  shirkers. 

h.  The  pastor  as  missionary  leader.  When  the 
infirmities  and  shortcomings  of  the  Church  are  under 
consideration,  the  pastors  invariably  and  inevitably 
come  in  for  a  large  share  of  blame.  This  fault-finding 
with  the  conduct  and  work  of  pastors  may  be  carried 
too  far,  and  by  hasty  and  indiscriminate  reproach  in- 
justice may  be  done  to  some  faithful  and  conscien- 
tious pastors,  for  whose  difficulty  and  trying  situation 
not  enough  allowance  is  made.  We  should  be  just 
and  fair,  as  well  as  fervent  in  spirit. 

The  pastor  himself  is  the  last  person  who  can  af- 


Ch.  23.        THE  PASTOR  AS  LEADER.  235 

ford  to  underrate  the  importance  of  his  position  as  a 
spiritual  leader  of  the  Lord's  people.  The  work  of 
the  Lord  is  not  dependent  upon  man  or  any  human 
power,  but  this  does  not  justify  us  in  undervaluing 
the  importance  of  the  personality  of  the  minister  who 
is  set  as  a  watchman  on  Zion's  walls  and  stands  as 
a  divinely  appointed  leader  and  overseer  among  his 
people.  It  behooves  the  conscientious  pastor  to  study 
his  relation  to  the  development  of  missionary  life  in 
his  own  congregation  as  well  as  in  the  synod  or 
larger  church  body  to  which  he  may  belong,  and  he 
may  well  have  regard  for  the  influence  of  his  per- 
sonal example  not  only  among  the  members  of  his 
congregation,  but  also  upon  other  pastors  and  con- 
gregations. 

Because  of  his  position  and  relations  a  special 
responsibility  rests  upon  the  pastor.  "He  holds  a  key 
position,"  as  a  missionary  leader  remarks.  "If  he 
lacks  the  missionary  spirit,  if  he  is  not  fully  persuad- 
ed that  the  cause  of  missions  is  the  cause  of  Christ 
Himself,  his  church  will  not  be  missionary.  As  the 
pastor  so  the  people,  is  generally  true  in  relation  to 
this  subject.  It  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible, 
to  find  a  case  of  a  pastor  deeply  and  actively  inter- 
ested in  missions  who  has  not  met  with  a  real  re- 
sponse from  a  goodly  number  of  his  parishioners. 
.  .  .  Pastors  should  be  taught  to  look  on  their 
churches  not  only  as  a  field  to  be  cultivated,  but  also 
as  a  force  to  be  wielded  on  behalf  of  the  world's 
evangelization."^ 

^  John  R.  Mott,  The  Evangelization  of  the  World  in  this 
Generation,  p.  191,  ff.  For  further  remarks  and  helpful  ref- 
erences on  this  topic  the  pastor  may  read  Note  8,  in  the  Ap- 
pendix. 


236  MISSION    STUDIES. 

2.  By  faithful  supervision  of  the  general  work. 

In  our  church  work  we  entrust  certain  interests  to  the 
general  body  composed  of  the  affihated  congregations. 
This  is  the  case  particularly  with  the  larger  enter- 
prises of  the  Church,  as  the  educational  institutions, 
the  general  mission  work,  the  publication  interests, 
and  others.  It  goes  without  saying  that  their  success 
depends  largely  upon  the  way  in  which  they  are  man- 
aged and  their  interests  are  presented  to  the  churches. 
Two  things,  therefore,  are  required,  in  order  to 
promote  the  general  work,  namely,  faithful  adminis- 
tration and  ample  reports.  The  churches  secure  the 
former  by  appointing  to  their  offices  and  positions  of 
trust  faithful  and  experienced  men,  and  they  have  a 
right  to  expect  the  fullest  possible  information  in  re- 
gard to  the  needs  and  progress  of  the  work.  This  is 
usually  imparted  through  the  church  papers  and  mag- 
azines, the  published  proceedings  of  synodical  con- 
ventions, and  special  reports.  Through  these  chan- 
nels, if  they  are  widely  distributed  in  the  churches, 
as  they  should  be,  influences  are  carried  directly  into 
the  homes  of  the  people  that  can  hardly  fail  to  re- 
sult in  enlarged  interest  and  activity. 

3.  By  ample  provision  for  co-operation.     The 

entire  work  of  the  general  body  is  built  upon  this 
principle.  The  body  is  composed  of  members,  indi- 
vidual congregations.  If  they  fail  to  co-operate,  the 
work  fails,  and  the  body  goes  to  pieces.  If  the  co- 
operation is  weak,  the  work  drags  along  slowly  and 
heavily,  and  the  faithful  members  groan  beneath  their 
heavy  tasks.  It  is  only  when  the  co-operation  is 
general  and  hearty  that  there  can  be  anything  like 
success  and  joy  fulness  and  hopefulness  in  the  enter- 


Ch.    23.  SPREAD    OF    INFORMATION.  237 

prise.  And  Christians  ought  to  aim  not  merely  at 
performance  of  duty,  but  also  at  the  promotion  of 
joyfulness  in  Christian  service,  according  to  the  apos- 
tolic injunction,  ''Rejoice  in  the  Lord  alway." 

To  plan  and  provide  for  growth  of  interest  and 
co-operation  is,  therefore,  one  of  the  important  tasks 
of  the  Church.  It  is  usually  done  through  the  work 
of  synods  and  conferences,  by  duly  appointed  officers 
and  agents,  by  means  of  the  manifold  influences  that 
center  about  and  go  out  from  the  educational  institu- 
tions, and  through  the  publication  and  dissemination 
of  the  needful  church  literature  in  the  form  of  re- 
ports, leaflets,  tracts,  periodicals  and  books. 

The  Church  that  is  wise  and  faithful  to  its  trust 
will  make  large  use  of  these  and  other  means  in  order 
to  promote  among  its  members  intelligent  and  sus- 
tained interest  in  its  work.  Particularly  must  the 
power  of  the  press  be  utilized  with  all  the  vigor  that 
can  be  mustered.  People  are  great  readers  nowa- 
days. And  yet  it  is  a  sad  fact  that  in  many  a  Chris- 
tian home  very  little,  if  any,  religious  reading  is  done. 
\^erv  many  homes  that  are  well  supplied  with  secular 
papers  and  magazines  insist  upon  getting  along  with- 
out a  church  paper.  It  behooves  the  general  body  to 
inquire  into  existing  conditions  and  inaugurate  ways 
and  m.eans  of  improving  them. 

The  place  of  niissious  in  the  educational  institu- 
tions of  the  Church  was  discussed  in  chapter  III, 
section  3.  The  relation  of  this  to  the  development  of 
missionary  life  in  the  Church  is  plain.  If  the 
students  that  go  forth  from  these  institutions  into  the 
various  walks  and  vocations  of  life  have  come  mto 
living  touch  with   the   Church's  missionary  interests, 


238  MISSION    STUDIES. 

and  have  caught  something  of  the  fervor  of  the  mis- 
sionary Hfe,  and  liave  gathered  some  stimulating  in- 
formation on  the  work  in  its  different  departments 
and  fields,  having  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  good 
missionary  library  and  the  helpful  associations  of 
missionary  meetings  and  classes,  we  may  feel  hopeful 
that  some  missionary  life  and  interest  will  flow 
through  them  into  the  congregations  in  which  their 
life's  work  may  be  cast.  We  have  a  right  to  expect 
that  these  young  men  and  women,  trained  in  Chris- 
tian institutions,  will  serve  as  leaders  among  the 
people  wnth  whom  they  associate  and  among  whom 
they  labor.  With  this  far-reaching  object  in  view  it 
behooves  the  churches  to  make  ample  provision  for 
the  promotion  of  the  missionary  interests  in  their 
higher  schools  of  learning. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  NURTURE  OF  MISSIONARY  LIFE  IN  THE 
CONGREGATION. 

I.  Faithful  administration  and  application  of 
the  means  of  grace.  It  is  here,  in  the  congrega- 
tion, that  the  principal  battles  must  be  fought,  and 
the  continuous  and  telling  work  must  be  done.  And 
our  chief  reliance  must  be  the  Word  of  the  living 
God.  That  "sword  of  the  Spirit,"  that  "incorruptible 
seed,"  that  "power  of  God  unto  salvation,"  which  is 
mighty  through  God  to  the  pulling  down  of  strong- 
holds and  the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ  in 
heathendom,  is  equally  powerful  in  creating  and  fos- 
tering spiritual  life  and  effecting  transformations  of 
grace  in  the  home  churches  and  fields. 

Let,  therefore,  the  divinely  appointed  means  of 
grace  be  faithfully  preserved  and  used  in  our 
churches.  All  other  ways  and  means,  methods  and 
measures,  are  subordinate  to  these  divinely  appointed 
means  of  working  the  work  of  God,  raising  souls 
from  death,  implanting  divine  and  heavenly  life  in 
those  who  by  nature  are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins, 
and  fostering  and  developing  and  preserving  that  life 
for  the  accomplishment  of  God's  good  and  gracious 
will.  If  these  divine  means  are  wanting,  if  their  ad- 
ministration is  feeble  and  lifeless,  or  if  their  use  is 
purely  external  and  mechanical,  devoid  of  real  spirit- 
ual power  and  assimilation  of  divine  grace,  all  other 
methods  and  devices,  however  skilful  and  ingenious, 

(239) 


240  MISSION    STUDIES. 

will  prove  utterly  futile  for  the  fostering  of  mission- 
ary life. 

In  our  congregational  work  we  may  distinguish 
between  two  spheres,  in  which  the  divine  Word  must 
be  applied,  in  order  to  the  edification  of  the  body  in 
its  entire  membership.  These  we  proceed  to  examine. 
The  use  of  missionary  means  and  influences  is  some- 
what different  among  the  younger  and  the  older 
members. 

2.  Two  spheres  of  spiritual  nurture:  a.  Among 
the  young;  b.  Among  the  older  members.  In  the 
congregation  there  are  many  members,  in  various 
stages  of  intellectual  and  spiritual  advancement.  Due 
regard  must  be  had  for  their  varying  capacities  and 
needs. 

A.  Among  the  young.  Various  opportunities 
are  presented  for  the  nurture  of  missionary  interest 
among  the  younger  members  of  the  household  of 
faith.  They  are  golden  opportunities,  because  of  the 
receptivity  and  pliability  of  the  youthful  mind  and 
heart.  How  unv/ise,  therefore,  and  unfaithful,  too, 
are  those  teachers  and  leaders  who  neglect  the  work 
among  the  children  and  the  youth !  We  should  give 
it  particular  attention  and  assiduously  cultivate  the 
field. 

All  we  can  hope  to  do  in  this  brief  sketch  is  to 
outline  the  more  obvious  opportunities. 

(i)  Missionary  work  in  the  Sunday  school. 
Various  ways  of  wielding  a  missionary  influence  in 
the  Sunday  school  may  be  pursued  by  interested 
workers.  It  should  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that 
the  pastor  is  the  divinely  appointed  leader  here,  as  he 
is  in  the  other  departments  of  church  work.     Let  the 


Ch.    24.  INSTRUCTION   IN    SCHOOL.  241 

work  be  carefully  planned,  and  its  unity  preserved. 
There  are  two  main  points  to  be  observed  and  kept 
in  view,  namely,  first,  the  imparting  of  elementary 
instruction  concerning  the  missionary  enterprise,  and, 
secondly,  the  cultivation  of  the  spirit  of  benevolence 
and  Christian  giving.  And  we  would  suggest  two 
ways  as,  among  others,  well  adapted  to  serve  the  end : 
the  setting  apart  of  what  may  be  called  missionary 
Sundays  during  the  year,  and  the  annual  observance 
of  a  children's  missionary  day,  to  serve  as  the  cul- 
mination of  the  instruction  imparted  during  the  year, 
as  a  time  of  festivity  and  thanksgiving  for  the  mis- 
sionary work  that  has  been  accomplished  by  God's 
grace,  and  a  season  of  renewed  inspiration  for  the 
work  of  the  next  year.  Local  circumstances  and 
conditions  must  determine  the  details,  as,  for  example, 
the  frequency  of  the  missionary  Sundays,  whether 
to  be  held,  say,  monthly  or  quarterly.  These  would 
give  the  pastor  opportunity  to  impart  the  needful 
instruction  in  missions,  particularly  in  the  form  of 
interesting  narratives,  with  such  application  to  local 
conditions  as  may  be  called  for.  On  these  Sundays 
there  might  be  a  special  offering  for  missions,  though 
this  should  not  be  allowed  to  interfere  with  the  gen- 
eral offering  to  be  gathered  for  the  annual  children's 
day  festivity.  Various  systems  are  in  vogue  and  may 
be  successfully  operated  for  the  gathering  of  the  of- 
ferings, as  envelopes,  money  barrels,  mite  boxes,  etc. 
(2)  Missionary  instruction  in  the  catechetical 
school  or  class.  This  is  an  old,  well  established,  and 
approved  method  for  the  religious  instruction  and 
training  of  the  children  and  youth  of  the  Church.     It 


242  MISSION   STUDIES. 

is  regularly  maintained  and  is  still  proving  itself 
highly  effective,  especially  in  the  Lutheran  Church. 
What  cogent  reason  is  there  why  it  should  not  be  ob- 
served, in  some  form,  in  all  Christian  churches?  Re- 
ligious leaders  are  not  making  full  proof  of  their  min- 
istry with  reference  to  the  caring  for  and  feeding  of 
the  lambs  of  the  flock,  when  they  refuse  to  avail  them- 
selves of  an  arrangement  of  this  kind  for  effective 
pastoral  work  in  behalf  of  the  youth. 

In  this  sphere  of  activity  the  Catechism  and 
Bible  History  afford  frequent  opportunities  and  oc- 
casions for  missionary  instruction  and  application 
which  the  wise  and  faithful  teacher  will  not  ignore. 
And  such  incidental  exposition  of  missionary  thoughts 
in  the  regular  course  of  religious  instruction  will  be 
very  effective  and  fruitful. 

(3)  Missionary  instruction  in  the  Christian  day 
school.  Congregations  that  are  fortunate  enough  to 
have  a  well-organized  parochial  school  are  much  bet- 
ter equipped  than  are  other  congregations  for  the 
Christian  training  and  nurture  of  their  children. 
These  schools  have  a  difficult  task  to  perform.  They 
must  include  in  their  course  of  study  all  the  needful 
secular  branches  of  instruction  as  well  as  the  re- 
ligious branches.  Their  teachers  are,  as  a  rule,  far 
more  heavily  burdened  than  are  the  teachers  in  the 
public  schools.  It  will  not  be  adding  anything  to 
their  burden,  however,  but  will  infuse  into  it  a  buoy- 
ant element  that  will,  in  the  long  run,  tend  to  lighten 
it,  if  they  will  make  such  a  study  of  the  missionary  en- 
terprise as  may  enable  them  to  make  use  of  mission- 
ary thoughts  in  connection  not  only  with  the  religious 


Ch.    24.  AT   REGULAR    SERVICES.  243 

branches  of  instruction,  but  with  some  of  the  secular 
branches  also,   particularly  Geography.^ 

B.  Among  the  older  members.  In  all  his  rela- 
tions and  activities  the  pastor  may  have  opportunity, 
now  and  then,  to  exert  a  conscious  missionary  influ- 
ence, while  unconsciously  the  missionary-spirited  pas- 
tor will  be  wielding  such  an  influence  all  the  time. 
Particularly  should  pastoral  work  and  public  preach- 
ing, soul  cure  and  exposition  of  the  Word,  go  hand 
in  hand  and  supplement  each  other. 

The  missionary  opportunities  of  the  pastor  in 
connection  with  public  services  and  organized  efforts 
lie  and  should  be  developed  in  two  directions. 

First,  the  regular  divine  services.  This  is  the 
culminating  and  crowning  point  of  all  ministerial  ac- 
tivities, and  here,  as  in  all  other  relations,  the  min- 
ister of  Christ  must  labor  to  make  full  proof  of  his 
ministry. 

In  the  work  of  our  ministry,  and  in  order  to 
make  full  proof  of  it,  we  cannot  bestow  too  much 
care  and  study  upon  the  apostolic  injunction:  "Right- 
ly dividing  the  Word  of  truth."  It  is  a  fatal  mistake 
to  imagine  that  missionary  life  can  be  created  or  fos- 
tered and  developed  by  the  preaching  of  the  Law,  by 
denunciation  and  castigation  of  sins,  by  the  threaten- 
ings  of  God's  wrath,  by  the  thunders  of  Mt.  Sinai,  by 
legal  enactment  and  regulations,  by  legalistic  methods 
in  public  preaching  or  pastoral  visiting,  in  church 
discipine  or  church  finances.  Righteousness  is  not  by 
the  Law.     Jesus,  the  Mediator  of  the  new  covenant, 


^  Teachers  will  find  an  excellent  help  in  Dr.  Warneck's, 
Die  Mission  in  der  Schule ;  and  Theodor  Schaefer's  Die 
innere  Mission  in  der   Schule. 


244  MISSION*   STUDIES. 

says,  "My  words,  they  are  Spirit,  and  they  are  Hfe.'' 
The  Gospel  of  Christ  is  the  power  of  God  unto  sal- 
vation. The  Gospel  contains  and  conveys  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ.  It  gives  life.  Let  us 
remember  that  we  are  ministers  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. The  Word  which  must  distinguish  our  min- 
istry and  prevail  in  our  work  is  the  Word  of  recon- 
ciliation. But  it  would  likewise  be  a  fatal  mistake  to 
conclude  that  the  Law  had  no  proper  place  in  our 
ministrations  and  work.  *'By  the  Law  is  the  knowl- 
edge of  sin.''  It  is  our  schoolmaster  to  bring  us  unto 
Christ.  The  Law  must  be  preached  in  our  churx:hes 
in  all  its  terrifying  and  crushing  might,  to  the  end 
that  conviction  of  sin  may  be  wrought  and  the  way 
prepared  for  the  healing  and  saving  and  sanctifying 
power  of  the  blood  of  Christ.  Even  the  children  of 
God  have  need  of  the  application  of  the  Law  so  far 
as  they  are  in  the  flesh,  and  the  flesh  warreth  against 
the  Spirit.  But  let  it  be  noted  that  the  tone  and  spirit 
and  power  of  our  ministry  must  be  evangelical.  We 
must  depend  upon  the  Gospel  and  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  its  application  to  the  soul  for  the 
awakening  and  fostering  of  a  new  life,  a  life  from 
above,  the  life  of  God,  the  mind  of  Christ,  missionary 
life. 

"God  is  love."  Therein  lies  the  power  and  hope 
of  an  endless  life  for  sinful  man.  "The  love  of  Christ 
constraineth  us."  That  is  the  perpetual  and  never- 
failing  impulse  to  godliness  and  godly  service.  Let 
our  ministry  be  so  directed  and  over-shadowed  by  the 
Spirit  of  God  that  the  cross  of  Christ  and  the  power 
of  His  resurrection  shall  have  free  and  unhindered 
sweep.     So  will  we  strive  to  be  workmen  that  need 


Ch.    24.  IN    THE    SERMON.  245 

not  to  be  ashamed,  "rightly  dividing  the  Word  of 
truth.'' 

Whatever  other  principles  and  rules  of  Homi- 
letics  we  observe  or  forget,  we  ought  to  remember 
that  our  business  in  the  pulpit  is  to  be  ambassadors 
for  Christ,  heralds  to  declare  the  oracles  of  God.  To 
bring  His  message  to  the  people  is  the  mission  of 
those  who  lay  claim  to  the  authority  couched  in  the 
words:  "He  that  heareth  you  heareth  me.'  Now, 
if  we  are  faithful  in  expounding  the  Word  of  God, 
not  merely  preaching  on  a  text,  using  it  largely  per- 
haps as  a  motto,  but  getting  into  the  text  and  setting 
forth,  so  far  as  we  can  grasp  them,  the  thoughts  of 
God,  we  will  find  a  rich  and  copious  supply  of  mis- 
sionary thoughts  in  the  regular  text,  whether  it  be 
the  regular  gospel  or  epistolary  lessons  or  any  other 
series  of  texts  that  we  use.  And  it  is  of  the  most 
vital  importance  for  the  development  of  missionary 
life  that  these  missionary  thoughts,  as  they  occur  and 
recur  in  the  regular  text,  be  utilized.  There  need  not 
always  be  a  lengthy  missionary  excursus,  sometimes  a 
mere  reference,  a  calling  to  remembrance  of  a  well 
known  truth,  a  pointed  application  may  suffice  and  be 
all  that  the  text  requires.  There  may  be  a  faithful 
and  effective  presentation  of  missionary  thoughts 
without  even  mentioning  the  word  missions. 

By  expounding  and  setting  forth  the  missionary 
thoughts  of  the  Bible  whenever  they  are  found  in  the 
text,  on  any  occasion  whatever,  we  will  do  much  to 
avoid  and  correct  a  wrong  and  pernicious  notion  that 
some  people  have  and  are  pleased  to  harbor  in  regard 
to  mission  work,  namely,  that  it  is  a  sort  of  luxury 
and  ornament,  rather  than  th^  brawn  and  muscle  of 


246  MISSION    STUDIES. 

Christianity,  that  it  is  a  work  of  supererogation  rather 
than  a  form  of  activity  that  belongs  essentially  and 
vitally  to  the  life  of  a  Christian.  Special  missionary 
services  are  rightly  understood  and  salutary,  are  of 
permanent  educational  value,  only  when  they  are 
conducted  upon  the  solid  and  intelligent  ground  that 
has  been  laid  in  the  regular  exposition  of  the  Word. 
While  thus  we  will  have  frequent  occasion  to  ex- 
press missionary  thoughts  and  speak  of  missions  in 
our  sermons,  it  is  well  to  be  on  our  guard  against 
the  danger  of  using  platitudes  and  set  phrases.  The 
charge  of  '^glittering  generalities"  cannot  properly  be 
brought  against  every  repetition  of  truths  that  might 
be  regarded  as  familiar  and  well  known.  We  may 
properly  resent  the  demand  for  new  things  and  spe- 
cific facts  every  time  a  reference  to  missions  occurs 
in  the  sermon.  The  fundamental  truths  of  salvation 
will  bear  very  frequent  repetition,  and  the  missionary 
thoughts  of  God  belong  to  the  fundamental  doctrines 
of  His  Word.  What  we  should  try  to  avoid  is  same- 
ness of  expression,  and  these  used  in  a  spirit  and 
manner  tending  to  monotony.  Let  familiar  truth  be 
repeated  and  emphasized  by  reiteration,  but  let  it  be 
presented  in  endless  modifications  of  expression  of 
which  it  is  capable  and  always  with  the  freshness  and 
warmth  of  real  life.  What  believer  ever  tires  of  the 
''old,  old  atory"  of  the  manger  and  the  cross,  or  feels 
surfeited  when  he  hears  again  and  again  the  old,  fa- 
miliar truth,  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  God's 
Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin?  Even  so  the  mis- 
sionary thoughts  of  the  Bible  may  be  safely  repeated 
again  and  again,  for  they  are  a  vital  part  of  the  Gos- 


Ch.    24.  MISSIONARY  SERVICES.  247 

pel  of  Bethlehem  and  Calvary,  and  flow  from  the 
fountain  of  salvation,  opened  in  our  Savior's  wounds. 

Apt  and  pointed  illustrations  from  the  history  of 
missions  may  frequently  be  used  with  good  effect 
in  elucidating  Scripture  and  enforcing  missionary 
thoughts.  But  such  missionary  narratives  and  inci- 
dents are  to  be  employed,  just  as  are  any  historical 
references  or  other  illustrations,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  the  truth  plainer,  enforcing  the  lesson  to  be 
conveyed  and  aiding  the  memory  to  retain  it.  For 
the  fostering  of  missionary  life  we  are  to  place  our 
reliance  not  upon  narratives  of  human  achievement 
or  stories  of  hardship  or  heroism  in  the  Lord's  w^ork, 
however  thrilling  and  fascinating  they  may  be,  but 
upon  the  incorruptible  seed  of  God's  Word  that  liveth 
and  abideth  forever,  by  which  souls  are  begotten  unto 
a  living  hope,  and  through  which  faith  and  love  and 
hope  are  strengthened  and  fed.  Missionary  illustra- 
tions should  be  used  to  show  forth  the  power  of  God 
and  the  wisdom  of  God,  how  faithful  He  is  in  carry- 
ing out  His  promises,  how  richly  He  has  blest  the 
labors  and  the  trials  of  His  people  who  have  striven 
to  do  His  holy  will,  how  His  Word  does  not  return 
unto  Him  void,  and  the  like.  But  in  every  case  it  is 
God  which  worketh  in  us  both  to  will  and  to  do  of 
His  good  pleasure ;  and  the  point  of  our  illustrations 
should  be :  **See  what  hath  God  wrought !" 

Secondly,  special  missionary  serine es  and  lines  of 
zi'ork.  An  outline  which,  it  is  hoped,  may  prove  sug- 
gestive and  stimulating,  is  all  that  is  attempted  here. 

(i)  Regularly  recurring  missionary  services. 
The  Germans  call  them  "Missionsstunden,''  and  in 
England  and  America,  among  English  speaking  peo- 


248  MISSION    STUDIES. 

pie,  the  favorite  term  for  these  special  services  used 
to  be  ''missionary  concerts  of  prayer,''  or  "concerts  of 
prayer  for  missions,"  emphasizing,  as  main  purpose, 
concerted  or  united  prayer.  These  special  services 
that  were  the  center  and  source  of  much  blessing  in 
their  day  have  almost  entirely  ceased  to  exist  in  many 
churches,  and  the  earnest  missionary  leaders  are  sug- 
gesting their  re-introduction. 

The  origin  and  entire  history  of  special  mission- 
ary services,  together  with  the  varying  modes  of  con- 
ducting them,  is  most  interesting  and  suggestive.  In 
Germany  the  origin  of  "Missionsstunden"  is  to  be 
traced  to  the  pietistic  circles  that  throbbed  with  the 
spirit  of  prayer  and  devotion,  while  established 
churches  were  wrapped  in  slumber  induced  by  the 
choking  atmosphere  of  rationalism  and  dead  ortho- 
doxy. There  can  be  hardly  a  question  about  the 
need  of  some  arrangement  of  this  sort  as  a  means  of 
imparting  missionary  information  and  stimulation  to 
the  whole  congregation,  or  at  least  to  a  large  and 
forceful  part  of  it.  These  missionary  services  sus- 
tain the  same  relation  to  the  annual  ''mission  festival"' 
as  the  missionary  Sundays  in  the  Sunday  school,  with 
the  missionary  instruction  imparted,  sustain  to  the 
children's  missionary  day.  And  this  arrangement  has 
been  introduced  and  is  in  successful  operation  in  not 
a  few  congregations.  It  would  be  well  if  earnest  ef- 
forts were  put  forth  to  introduce  it  more  generally 
in  our  churches. 

In  all  such  matters  the  details  ought  to  be  de- 
termined by  an  intelligent  study  of  local  conditions. 
We  would  not  insist  on  beginning  with  monthly  serv- 
ices.    There  is  a  great  deal  of  work  connected  with 


Ch.    24.  NEEDFUL    HELPS.  249 

them,  and  they  ought  to  be  thoroughly  prepared.  It 
is  better  to  hold  fewer  and  more  instructive  services 
than  many  that  are  unsatisfactory  and  disappointing. 
Let  a  beginning  be  made  with  four  services  the  first 
year.  If  they  are  carefully  planned  and  prayerfully 
sustained,  they  may  grow  to  six  the  next  year,  and 
in  the  course  of  time  monthly  services  may  be  called 
for.  A  natural  growth  is  always  hardier  than  an  ar- 
tificial arrangement. 

Each  pastor  and  congregation  must  select  for 
themselves  the  most  suitable  time  for  holding  the 
services,  whether  on  Sunday  evenings,  or  as  a  mid- 
week service.  Then,  one  of  the  first  requisites  for 
satisfactory  work  is  at  least  a  small,  carefully  selected 
missionary  library,  to  which  a  little  new  material  is 
added  each  year.  Without  the  necessary  literature 
from  which  information  can  be  drawn  the  most  well- 
meaning  efforts  to  conduct  regular  missionary  meet- 
ings will  only  prove  a  source  of  discouragement  and 
disappointment.  Wherever  there  is  enough  spirit  and 
interest,  however,  to  secure  the  needful  helps,  and 
these  are  begun  to  be  used  with  earnestness,  there 
will  be  little  doubt  as  to  the  result. 

When  arrangements  are  to  be  made,  it  is  well  to 
plan  ahead  for  the  services  of  the  year.  The  number 
of  subjects  and  departments  and  fields  to  select  from 
is  very  large.  Do  not  attempt  to  take  in  too  large  a 
scope.  Aim  at  concentration  and  avoid  distraction. 
While  there  should  be  a  distinct  and  clearly  apparent 
connection  between  the  different  services  of  the  year, 
each  one  should  furnish  something  complete  in  itself 
and  wellrounded,  so  far  as  it  goes.  If  ''readings"  are 
introduced,  they  should  be  used  sparingly.     Interest 


250  MISSION    STUDIES. 

can  be  sustained  far  better  by  addresses  delivered 
freely  and  narratives  spiritedly  told  than  by  reading 
long  articles  and  papers.  The  facts  and  the  hearti- 
ness of  presentation  outweigh  all  finished  forms.  Let 
the  work  be  undertaken  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord  and 
with  an  eye  single  to  His  glory,  with  determination 
and  in  humble  dependence  upon  His  grace  and  guid- 
ance, and  great  will  be  the  reward.  For  additional 
suggestions  and  helps  the  reader  is  referred  to  the 
Bibliography  at  the  end  of  the  book.^ 

(2)  The  annual  mission  festival.  This  is  a  spe- 
cial missionary  service  in  which  the  missionary  enter- 
prise constitutes  the  festive  thought  of  the  day.  Just 
as  at  Christmas  the  birth  of  the  Savior,  and  at  Easter 
the  resurrection  of  Christ,  is  celebrated,  so  at  the  an- 
nual mission  festival  the  work  of  missions  is  made  the 
object  of  celebration.  Hence,  in  good  churchly  style, 
the  Germans  call  it  a  festival. 

In  answer  to  the  question :  "Why  do  we  cele- 
brate mission  festivals  ?"  a  German  missionary  writes : 
''They  are  to  be  a  thankoffering  for  the  blessings  of 
the  Gospel  received  at  home  and  in  the  heathen  world ; 
they   are   to   serve   the   purpose   of   encouraging   and 

^  The  pastor  will  find  much  helpful  material  in  Hesse, 
Die  Mission  auf  der  Kanzel,  p.  21  ff.  We  would  also  call 
special  attention  to  Thompson's  Foreign  Missions,  lectures 
V.  to  VII.,  and  Mott's  The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions, 
p.  70  ff.  The  latter  refers  to  a  pamphlet  on  "The  Monthly 
Concert  of  Prayer  for  Missions,"  by  Dr.  A.  W.  Halsey, 
who,  in  his  own  seventeen  years'  experience  in  the  pastor- 
ate, "shows  what  a  pastor  can  do  to  make  a  monthly  mis- 
sionary meeting  a  power,  if  he  wills  to  do  so." —  The  Mis- 
sionary Pastor,  by  Rev.  James  E.  Adams,  also  contains 
much  suggestive  and  helpful  material  for  missionary  meet- 
ings. 


Ch.    24.  THE  MISSION  FESTIVAL.  251 

strengthening  the  churches  at  home  to  rally  to  the 
energetic  support  of  missions  through  prayer  and  of- 
ferings, and  of  uniting  them  more  closely  for  co-op- 
eration in  mission  work.''  He  says  further:  "Ac- 
cordingly, mission  festivals  are,  as  a  rule,  to  be  cele- 
brated only  in  places  where,  by  means  of  cultivation 
and  instruction  in  the  sermon,  in  missionary  services, 
through  missionary  literature,  and  the  like,  the  proper 
ground  has  been  prepared.  In  like  manner  it  is  a  glar- 
ing inconsistency  if,  after  the  mission  festival,  the 
mission  call  is  suffered  to  die  out  and  grow  silent,  and 
mission  work  is  not  so  much  as  touched.'' 

As  to  time  and  method  of  observance,  considerable 
latitude  and  variety  prevail.  The  autumn  season  ap- 
pears to  be  generally  preferred  in  our  churches.  The 
Epiphany  festival  has  been  frequently  pointed  out,  not 
only  among  us,  but  in  Germany  also,  by  Dr.  Warneck 
and  others,  as  the  most  natural  time  for  the  observance 
of  a  universal,  churchly  mission  festival.  Some  of  our 
pastors  unite  the  mission  festival  and  the  children's 
missionary  services,  and  observe  the  day  either  in  June 
or  in  the  fall.  In  some  places  the  annual  harvest  and 
missionary  festival  are  combined.  Some  pastors  and 
congregations  seem  to  require  from  two  to  four 
preachers  from  abroad  to  enhance  and  magnify  their 
mission  festival,  while  others  are  inclined  to  save  the 
expense  of  importing  preachers,  and,  hesitating  to 
ask  other  pastors  to  close  their  own  churches  and  rob 
their  own  congregations  of  services  for  the  day,  are 
satisfied  to  have  the  pastor  himself  rise  to  the  oc- 
casion and  preach  a  festival  sermon  in  his  own  church. 
The  prevailing  idea  in  Germany  in  regard  to  the  mode 
of  conducting  the  mission  festival,  is  to  have  a  festival 


252  MISSION    STUDIES. 

sermon  and  missionary  reports  and  addresses  in  sep- 
arate services — the  regular  churchly  service  and  the 
after-meeting. 

In  general,  this  is  a  fine  custom  and  deserves  to 
be  vigorously  maintained.  It  brings  into  prominence 
the  thought  of  what  God  has  done  in  the  great  work 
of  missions  at  home  and  on  foreign  fields.  The  effect 
may  be  to  humiliate  us  in  view  of  the  little  that  we 
have  done  in  the  cause  that  calls  so  loudly  for  support 
and  extension,  and  to  arouse  us  to  more  earnest  and 
more  united  effort  in  its  behalf. 

(3)  Distribution  of  missionary  literature.  This 
topic  has  been  touched  on  several  times.  It  is  sin  en- 
terprise that  needs  far  more  energetic  cultivation  in 
the  average  congregation  than  it  is  receiving  at  pres- 
ent. Those  who  have  begun  to  hold  special  mission- 
ary services,  whether  monthly  or  at  longer  intervals, 
and  to  observe  the  annual  mission  festival  may  learn 
a  valuable  lesson  from  a  custom  prevailing  in  Ger- 
many in  connection  with  these  services,  namely,  that 
of  distributing  missionary  literature  in  the  form  of 
tracts,  pamphlets  and  books.  It  must  be  evident  to 
all  thoughtful  workers  that  this  is  an  up-to-date 
means  of  spreading  information,  deepening  and  fix- 
ing the  impressions  received  at  the  services,  and  that, 
if  carried  on  in  an  enterprising  spirit,  it  may  be  made 
a  vehicle  of  communication  with  the  homes  into  which 
the  living  voice  has  not  penetrated. 

(4)  Societies  and  nmssion  study.  While  we 
must  guard  against  the  needless  multiplication  of  ma- 
chinery, more  or  less  organization  is  indispensable  to 
the  requirements  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  There 
are  three  spheres  in  which  organized  work  is  being 


Ch.    24.  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES.  253 

done,  and  in  which  there  is  much  room  for  enlarge- 
ment of  effort. 

aa.  Women's  missionary  societies.  Much  has 
been  said  in  praise  of  the  devotion  of  Christian  women 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord.  And  deservedly  so.  They 
are  veritable  pillars  in  most  congregations  and  have 
supplied  a  large  part  of  the  moral  and  financial  sup- 
port of  the  missionary  enterprise.  They  have  been 
persistent  and  persevering  in  the  cause.  Their  ardor 
has  not  been  fitful,  but  constant.  Let  the  godly  women 
of  our  churches  everywhere  labor  to  manifest  and 
maintain  this  spirit  of  devotion  and  thus  to  be  a  potent 
means  for  the  nurture  of  missionary  life  in  their  con- 
gregations and  in  the  Church  at  large.^ 

hh.  Young  people's  mission  study  courses.  One 
of  the  great  problems  in  the  Church  today  is  that  of 
caring  for,  safeguarding,  training  and  retaining  the 
young  people  in  our  churches.  Many  ways  have  been 
suggested,  and  many  expedients  are  being  tried.  There 
is  a  good  deal  of  aimless  experimentation  and  much 
discouragement  in  the  efforts.  One  thing  is  certain : 
there  must  be  a  definite  aim  and  patient  labor  to  at- 
tain it.  The  Student  Volunteer  Movement,  and  the 
Young  People's  Missionary  Movement,  have  adopted 
the  noble  and  worthy  aim  of  definite  work  in  behalf 
of  world-wide  evangelization.  Plans  to  this  end  have 
been  carefully  worked  out.  They  include  the  sys- 
tematic study  of  missions  in  mission  study  classes  and 
otherwise.     Textbooks  are  prepared  for  this  purpose. 


*  Fine  articles  and  helpful  suggestions  will  be  found  in 
Morris's  At  Our  Own  Door,  ch.  X.;  Clark's  Leavening  the 
Nation,  ch.  XIX;  and  Grose's  The  Incoming  Millions,  chap- 
ters V.  and  VII. 


254  MISSION    STUDIES. 

If  it  is  not  deemed  desirable  in  congregations  to 
form  mission  study  classes,  it  might  be  found  profit- 
able to  arrange  for  mission  study  courses  in  connec- 
tion with  the  work  of  the  young  people's  society.  In 
selecting  the  books  that  are  listed  in  the  Bibliography^ 
we  have  aimed  to  keep  this  purpose,  too,  in  view. 
The  not  infrequent  requests  which  have  come  to  the 
author  from  young  pastors,  asking  for  suggestions 
with  reference  to  suitable  literature  for  this  purpose 
indicate  that  there  is  a  field  to  be  worked  in  this 
sphere.  And  it  is  a  sphere  that  clamors  for  attention, 
while  it  opens  a  most  hopeful  outlook  to  the  wide- 
awake and  enthusiastic  leader. 

cc.  Interest  among  the  men.  The  conviction  has 
grown  upon  many  churches  that  their  missionary  in- 
terests have  engrossed  the  attention  of  only  a  small 
part  of  their  membership,  and  that,  for  the  most  part, 
confined  to  the  women  and  children.  The  women  in 
their  missionary  societies,  and  the  children  and  young 
people  in  Sunday  school,  have  for  years,  in  fact  from 
the  very  beginning  of  nineteenth  century  missions, 
been  interested  and  zealous  workers  in  the  cause. 
Gradually  it  has  been  left  to  fall  upon  them,  almost 
exclusively,   for   direct   support   and   work. 

Recently  there  has  been  an  awakening  along  this 
line  in  many  churches,  and  it  has  issued  in  the  Lay- 
men's Missionary  Movement,  which  has  very  speedily 
developed  in  the  enlistment  of  the  men  in  counsel  and 
work  in  behalf  of  the  missionary  enterprise.  This 
need  not  and  should  not  prove  to  be  merely  a  spas- 
modic eflfort,  a  burst  of  enthusiasm  momentarily 
aroused    by    able    leaders.     The    plans    inaugurated 

^  See  Appendix. 


Ch.    24.  SYSTEMATIC   GIVING.  255 

should  provide  not  merely  for  immediate  enlarge- 
ment of  contributions  and  funds,  but  for  the  cultiva- 
tion of  permanent  interest. 

The  form  of  effort  is  not  the  essential  thing. 
The  forms  of  activity  may  vary  according  to  needs 
and  opportunities.  But  wherever  the  want  of  in- 
terest and  co-operation  on  the  part  of  tjie  men  of  the 
congregation  is  felt,  there  is  a  call  for  earnest 
thought  with  a  view  to  remedying  what  must  be  re- 
garded as  a  great  evil  and  source  of  weakness. 

(5)  System  in  the  gathering  of  offerings.  It  is 
certainly  time  that  the  haphazard,  irregular  and  spas- 
modic "methods"  of  many  congregations  be  displaced 
and  superseded  by  regularity  and  system  in  the  mat- 
ter of  giving  and  gathering  offerings  for  the  Lord's 
work.  The  basket  collections  at  special  services  and 
mission  festivals  are  too  incomplete  and  partial,  al- 
low too  many  members  to  be  overlooked,  and  are 
wholly  inadequate  to  the  demands  of  the  cause. 
Some  of  the  most  successful  missionary  leaders, 
among  whom  Pastor  Louis  Harms,  the  founder  of 
the  Hermannsburg  Mission  in  Africa  and  India,  is  a 
notable  example,  never  took  up  collections  at  mis- 
sionary meetings,  but  left  it  to  the  impressed  hearts 
of  their  hearers  to  give  from  a  sense  of  awakened 
conviction  and  according  to  the  needs  presented. 

To  this  effect  is  the  remark  of  the  secretary  of 
one  of  the  larger  mission  boards,  who  writes :  "We 
insist,  too,  that  missionary  operations  have  gone 
about  as  far  as  they  can  go  in  dependence  upon  the 
passing-the-hat  method  among  those  who  happen  to 
be  present  at  a  given  service."^     No  system   should 

^  Arthur  J.  Brown,  The  Foreign  Missionary,  p  .226. 


256  MISSION   STUDIES. 

be 'introduced  that  will  interfere  with  the  fundamental 
principle :  "The  Lord  loveth  a  cheerful  giver."  But 
neither  does  insistence  upon  free  will  offerings  elim- 
inate the  propriety  or  the  necessity  of  system  in  the 
highly  organized  society  of  our  day.  There  is  need 
of  system  in  the  gathering  of  missionary  offerings 
not  only  for  the  purpose  of  raising  our  apportion- 
ments in  full*  year  after  year,  and  of  aiding  in  the 
work  of  getting  all  the  members  to  take  part  and 
begin  to  do  their  duty,  but  in  order  to  cultivate  liber- 
ality, to  educate  and  train  ourselves  in  benevolence, 
to  exercise  and  develop  the  grace  of  giving.  Unity 
and  regularity  and  the  contagious  influence  of  good 
examples  are  important  and  weighty  elements  in  this 
direction. 

It  is  high  time  that  we  were  realizing  the  im- 
perative need  of  a  higher  conception  of  Christian 
stewardship  and  a  higher  standard  of  Christian  giv- 
ing. Let  there  be,  first  of  all  among  the  pastors  and 
teachers,  a  quickening  in  this  respect,  an  enlargement 
of  view,  an  elevation  of  aspiration  and  hope,  an  en- 
hancement of  expectation,  of  urgency,  of  requirement 
upon  ourselves  and  upon  those  to  whom  we  minister 
in  holy  things.  There  are  examples  around  us  that 
should  stimulate  us  to  expect  and  attempt  greater 
things  in  this  regard.  We  are  inclined  to  be  too 
easily  satisfied  with  a  pittance,  whereas  we  should 
give  and  solicit  according  to  a  large  measure. 

The  fear  of  some  timid  pastors  and  congrega- 
tions that  the  raising  of  missionary  oflferings  will  im- 
poverish them  and  reduce  their  ability  to  meet  their 
home  expenses  is  certainly  unfounded.  It  has  been 
disproved    times    without   number,    not   only    on   the 


Ch.    24.  REFLEX     INFLUENCE.  257 

ground  of  the  spirit  and  principles  of  the  Gospel,  but 
also  by  numerous  actual  examples.  "The  plea  that 
they  are  small  and  weak,"  writes  Secretary  Brown, 
''reminds  one  of  some  little  home  missionary 
churches,  mere  handfuls  of  poor  people,  who  send 
offerings  for  every  one  of  the  boards  of  the  Church. 
A  feeble  congregation  is  made  stronger  by  doing 
what  it  can."^  Jacob  Riis,  who  is  known  as  an  en- 
thusiastic and  indefatigable  worker  in  behalf  of  the 
poor  people  of  New  York,  declared  that  "for  every 
dollar  given  to  those  in  need  abroad,  the  spirit  that 
gives  it  provides  ten  for  home  use."  And  again  he 
is  quoted  as  saying  that  "for  every  dollar  you  give 
away  to  convert  the  heathen  abroad,  God  gives  you 
ten  dollars'  worth  of  purpose  to  deal  with  your 
heathen  at  home." 

We  cannot  here  enter  upon  particulars  with  re- 
spect to  methods  in  the  raising  of  offerings.  The 
"envelope  system,"  in  various  forms,  offers  many  ad- 
vantages. The  boards  in  most  of  the  churches  pro- 
vide for  all  needful  supplies  that  are  furnished  ready 
to  hand. 

We  are  glad  to  find  in  American  missionary  lit- 
erature such  sound  and  sensible  advice  as  this: 
"Avoid  raising  money  by  indirect  means,  such  as 
fairs  and  festivals.  These  often  belittle  the  dignity 
of  the  missionary  enterprise  in  the  minds  of  Chris- 
tians, provoke  scorn  among  unbelievers,  and  dishonor 
Jesus  Christ.'"^ 

^  The  Foreign  Missionary,  p.  224. 

*John  R.  Mott,  The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions,  p. 
122.  His  entire  chapter  on  "The  pastor  as  a  financial  force 
in  the   world's   evangelization,"   is   full   of  suggestive   points. 


258  MISSION    STUDIES. 

(6)  A  missionary  library  for  pastor  and  people. 
This  is  a  topic  that  deserves  special  attention  among 
the  ways  and  means  of  fostering  and  furthering  mis- 
sionary life  in  the  congregations.  It  was  mentioned 
under  the  head  of  missionary  services.  It  is  more 
fundamental,  because  it  is  required  as  a  working 
basis  for  other  needful  endeavors.  Public  libraries 
are  increasing,  indeed,  and  many  of  them  are  well 
supplied  with  books  on  missions.  They  cannot  al- 
ways be  depended  on,  however,  to  supply  the  books 
that  are  the  most  needed  and  the  most  rehable. 

Many  pastors  find  it  practically  impossible,  out 
of  their  meager  salaries,  to  supply  themselves  with 
all  the  books  they  need  in  order  to  continue  their 
studies  and  grow  in  knowledge  and  efficiency.  Now, 
with  respect  to  a  missionary  library  it  is  our  decided 
conviction  that  no  investment  that  the  average  con- 
gregation can  make  would  bring  in  larger  direct  re- 
turns than  the  expenditure  of  only  a  small  sum,  say 
$25  or  $50  to  begin  with,  in  the  purchase  of  a  care- 
fully selected  missionary  library  for  the  use  of  the 
pastor  and  congregation.  Each  year  some  new 
books  could  be  added,  at  very  little  expense.  It 
would  require,  in  many  cases,  only  a  suggestion  to 
induce  a  women's  society,  or  a  young  people's  society, 
or  the  Sunday  school,  to  furnish  the  required  sum. 
In  selecting  the  list  of  books  given  in  the  appendix, 
our  endeavor  was  to  furnish  some  suggestion  in  this 
direction. 

(7)  Prayer  for  missions.  This  is  mentioned 
last,  not  as  though  it  were  the  least  important  and 


On   "special    object   giving,"    its    advantages    and    difficulties, 
read  Brown,  The  Foreign  Missionary,  p.  57  ff. 


Ch.    24  MISSIONARY    PRAYER.  259 

essential  of  the  forces  that  are  to  be  appHed  for  the 
fostering  of  missionary  life,  but  because  it  is  regarded 
as  the  cap-stone  of  the  whole  structure,  the  crown- 
ing force  and  vitalizing  fervor  of  all  effort  in  this 
direction.  Omission  of  believing  prayer  and  cold- 
ness in  prayer  must  needs  entail  failure  at  every 
point.  When  the  spirit  of  prayer  departs  there  fol- 
lows of  necessity  spiritual  decline  and  decay.  Pas- 
tors who  are  so  often  called  upon  to  pray  in  an  offi- 
cial and  professional  capacity  may  nevertheless  need 
to  remember  and  heed  the  advice  of  one  who  said, 
''Often  pray  for  the  gift  of  prayer."^  "One  topic  of 
supplication,"  writes  Dr.  A.  C.  Thompson,  "should 
be  an  enlargement  of  desire,  hope  and  faith  com- 
mensurate with  the  scope  of  Scriptural  promises."^ 
Surely  we  cannot  too  earnestly  or  too  often  ponder, 
repeat,  imbibe  and  pray  over  the  direction  which  our 
Lord  gave  to  the  disciples:  "Wait  for  the  promise 
of  the  Father" ;  "Tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem, 
until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high." 

It  is  with  deliberate  intent  and  in  view  of  their 
preeminent  importance  and  indispensableness  for  the 
fostering  of  missionary  life  that,  in  the  presentation 
of  ways  and  means  to  this  end,  the  divine  Word  is 
made  to  begin  and  prayer  to  end  the  list.  All  our 
work,  all  our  fitness,  all  our  force,  hinges  upon  this. 
It  is  sanctified  by  the  Word  of  God  and  prayer.  Let 
all  other  methods  and  devices,  all  human  plans  and 
arrangements,  be  brought  into  subordination  to  the 
power  of  God  and  the  wisdom  of  God  and  be  per- 
meated with  the  spirit  of  absolute  surrender  to  God 

Mason,  Student  and  Pastor.    ^  Foreign  Missions,  p.  137. 


260  MISSION    STUDIES. 

and  of  unquestioning  reliance  upon  His  might.  May 
He  continue  to  enrich  us  in  all  things  and  bestow 
upon  us  every  needful  gift  and  grace,  that  we  may 
''be  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God." 


APPENDIX. 

I.    SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTES. 

II.    BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

in.    INDEX. 

(261) 


SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTES. 

Note  1.  Page  43.  Disputed  terms. —  Dr.  Warneck,  in 
his  "Missionslehre,"  I.,  page  3,  confesses  that  it  is  not  easy 
for  them  (in  Germany)  to  understand  what  we  in  America 
mean  by  home  missions.  He  speaks  of  "die  fiir  uns  nicht 
ganz  leicht  verstandliche  home  mission."  Another  passage 
which  is  characteristic  of  his  view  is  the  following :  "Mis- 
sion work  is  the  work  of  Christianizing;  hence  those  nations 
which  bear  the  Christian  name  and  have  through  baptism 
been  received  within  the  pale  of  Christendom,  who  are  there- 
fore no  longer  non-Christians,  cannot  be  regarded  as  objects 
of  mission  work,  whatever  deficiencies  may  be  found  in 
their  Christianity  from  the  standpoint  of  another  department 
of  church  work."  This  view  is  evidently  colored  and  de- 
termined by  conditions  as  they  exist  in  the  state  churches 
of  Germany.  While  we,  on  this  side,  sympathize  with  the 
members  of  these  churches  in  their  unhappy  and  deplorable 
situation,  their  modes  of  procedure,  amid  perplexities  and 
restriction,  are  not  always  clear  to  us. 

In  this  connection  it  will  amply  repay  the  student  to 
read  Dr.  Warneck's  luminous  criticism  of  certain  very  objec- 
tionable ways  and  features  in  American  missionary  circles, 
together  with  his  remarks  upon  the  watchword  adopted  some 
years  ago  by  the  Student  Volunteer  Movement  for  Foreign 
Missions :  "The  Evangelization  of  the  World  in  this  Genera- 
tion." Evangelische  ]\Iissionslehre  III.  1.,  pages  224-233. 
Compare  also  the  explanation  and  able  defense  of  the  watch- 
word, properly  understood  and  limited,  by  Robert  E.  Speer 
in  section  XLIV  of  his  Missionary  Principles  and  Practice, 
p.  510.  Further  able  discussions  of  the  same  subject: 
Martin,  Apostolic  and  Modern  Missions,  pp.  48-65 ;  Lawrence, 
Modern  Missions  in  the  East,  p.  35  fif. ;  Mott,  The  Evangeli- 
zation of  the  World  in  this  Generation.  Misunderstanding 
and  misinterpretation  of  terms,  as  well  as  faulty  views  and 
judgments  led,  especially  in  the  beginning  of  the  movement, 
to  the  expression  of  many  unsound  sentiments  and  the  mani- 

(263) 


264  MISSION    STUDIES. 

festation  of  much  zeal  without  knowledge.  It  is  cause  for 
gratification  that  there  has  been,  more  recently,  marked  im- 
provement in  much  of  the  American  missionary  literature. 

Note  2.  Page  53.  Missionary  qualifications. —  For  fur- 
ther study  and  supplementary  reading  the  student  is  referred 
to   the   following: 

Warneck,  Missionslehre  11,  pp.  141-167.  In  his  Missions- 
stunden  I,  p.  169,  occurs  this  fine  summary:  "For  mission 
service  abroad  and  for  mission  work  at  home  we  need  men 
with  whom  the  missionary  enterprise  is  not  a  secondary 
matter,  a  matter  of  play,  an  entertainment,  or  a  fashion,  but 
a  concern  of  the  heart,  a  part  of  their  own  life.  We  need 
men  who,  with  decided  conviction  and  positive  faith  and  in 
all  sincerity  and  truth,  will  put  their  strength  into  the  mis- 
sionary service,  who  will  hold  their  position  manfully  over 
against  the  hostility  and  prejudices  that  are  directed  at  the 
cause  as  well  as  over  against  the  unbiblical  perversion  of  its 
aims  and  ways.  Above  other  undertakings  the  missionary 
enterprise  requires  men,  all-round  men,  energetic,  self-sacrific- 
ing, fearless  men,  firm  in  the  faith.  What  shall  we  do  to 
get  such  men  and  to  become  such  men  ourselves?  In  har- 
mony with  the  regal  Founder  and  Leader  of  Christian  mis- 
sions the  Apostles  to  the  Gentiles  gives  the  answer :  'I  exhort 
therefore  that,  first  of  all,  .  .  .  prayers  ...  be 
made.' " 

In  "The  Call,  Qualifications  and  Preparation  of  Candi- 
dates for  Foreign  Missionary  Service,"  Papers  by  mission- 
aries and  other  authorities.  Dr.  Chamberlain,  of  India,  writes : 
"The  intellectual  preparation  should  be  the  very  best  attain- 
able. We  are,  none  of  us.  responsible  for  the  amount  of 
intellectual  ability  with  which  we  have  been  endowed,  but 
we  are  responsible  for  its  thorough  culture."  —  Dr.  M.  S. 
Baldwin,  Bishop  of  Huron,  says :  "God  chooses  a  man  who 
believes  himself  unfit  for  the  work  given  him  to  do.  God 
never  wants  the  self-sufficient."  Humility  is  a  trait  that 
is  needful  in  order  to  efficiency.  —  Dr.  Henry  H.  Jessup,  of 
Syria,  speaks  out  of  "an  experience  of  nearly  forty  years 
at  the  front" :  "No  one  should  go  who  is  unwilling  to  go 
anywhere.  There  should  be  complete  self-surrender.  The 
wise    and    experienced    officers    of    our    mission    boards    are 


SUPPLEMENTARY   NOTES.  265 

always  ready  to  consider  the  personal  preferences  of  candi- 
dates for  special  fields.  But  the  true  spirit  of  a  missionary 
is  one  of  readiness  to  go  'where  duty  calls  or  danger,'  making 
no  conditions."  "Common  sense  .  .  is  a  virtue  the  want  of 
which  nothing  else  will  supply.  Brilliant  talents,  great  lin- 
guistic gifts,  impetuous  zeal,  all,  alas,  will  fail  without  mental 
balance.  A  man  without  level-headed  common  sense  will  do 
more  mischief  in  a  day  than  a  whole  mission  can  undo  in  a 
year." 

John  R.  Mott,  The  Evangelization  of  the  World,  p. 
166 :  "Too  much  stress  cannot  be  placed  on  having  mission- 
ary candidates  form  the  habit  of  thorough  and  devotional 
Bible  study  before  they  go  to  the  field,  because  a  man 
mighty  in  the  Scriptures  is  almost  sure  to  be  mighty  in 
Christian   work." 

xA.rthur  J.  Brown,  The  Foreign  ]Missionary.  section  IV, 
p.  67  ff.,  discusses  "Qualifications  and  Appointment."  He 
writes :  "The  harder  the  field,  the  more  evident  is  it  that 
the  Gospel  of  Christ  is  needed  there.  No  one  worthy  to  be 
a  missionary  should  want  an  easy  place.  Difficulty  should 
beget  inspiration  to  more  resolute  endeavor." 

Robert  E.  Speer,  Missionary  Principles  and  Practice, 
section  VII,  p.  69  ff.,  gives  his  estimate  of  "The  kind  of 
men  needed  in  foreign  missions."  He  writes :  "Men  are 
wanled  who  have  the  qualities  of  spiritual  leadership. 
Among  these  qualities  are  good  sense,  open  and  compre- 
hensive judgment,  some  good  measure  of  personal  power,  .  .  . 
and  a  deep  and  true  and  prayerful  life."  "A  happy  spirit 
and  pluck,  rather  enjoying  hardship,  are  two  good  qualities 
in  a  missionary.  Coleridge  Patteson  wanted  for  his  work 
'bright,  cheerful,  happy  fellows.'  There  is  much  to  discour- 
age. The  air  is  full  of  despondency  and  hopelessness,  the 
results  of  heathenism.  .  .  Men  who  are  blue  of  disposition, 
and  who  instinctively  run  rather  than  fight,  will  have  an 
uncomfortable  time." 

Note  3.  Page  69.  Civilizing,  social  and  cultural  results 
of  mission  work.  —  Those  who  have  not  access  to  Dennis's 
magnificent  work  in  three  volumes,  "Christian  Missions  and 
Social  Progress."  may  be  able  to  get  "Social  Evils  of  the 
Non-Christian  World,"  paper,  35  cents,  being  a  reprint  from 


266  MISSION    STUDIES. 

the  author's  first  volume.  —  In  an  older  volume,  too,  found 
in  many  libraries,  "The  Great  Value  and  Success  of  Foreign 
Missions,"  by  Rev.  John  Liggins,  there  are  many  useful 
facts  and  testimonies  of  diplomatic  ministers,  consuls,  naval 
officers,  scholars  and  scientists,  and  other  travelers  and  resi- 
dents in  foreign  fields.  —  A  few  extracts  from  Brown's  "The 
Foreign  Missionary"  may  be  noted:  "Missionaries  have 
vastly  increased  the  world's  store  of  useful  knowledge.  .  . 
They  have  probably  done  more  than  any  other  class  of  men 
to  extend  a  knowledge  of  the  earth's  surface  and  its  inhabit- 
ants. Geography  and  ethnology,  entomology  and  zoology, 
botany  and  kindred  sciences  gratefully  enroll  the  names  of 
missionaries  among  their  most  successful  explorers.  .  . 
The  missionary  opens  new  markets  and  extends  trade.  He 
has  been  one  of  the  most  effective  agents  of  modern  com- 
merce, not  because  he  intended  to  be,  not  because  he  reaped 
any  personal  profit  from  the  goods  that  he  introduced,  but 
because  of  the  inevitable  tendencies  that  were  set  in  motion 
by  the  residence  of  an  enlightened  family  among  unenlight- 
ened people."  —  Speer,  in  his  "Missionary  Principles  and 
Practice,"  has  a  chapter  on  "The  civilizing  influence  of  mis- 
sions" :  a  good,  brief  summary  of  results. 

Here  is  a  typical  testimony  of  one  who  traveled  ex- 
tensively in  Africa.  In  the  Nineteenth  Century  (Nov.  1887) 
Sir  H.  H.  Johnston  wrote:  "Indirectly,  and  almost  unin- 
tentionally, missionary  enterprise  has  widely  increased  the 
bounds  of  our  knowledge  and  has  sometimes  been  the  means 
of  conferring  benefits  on  science,  the  value  and  extent  of 
which  it  was  itself  careless  to  appreciate  and  compute.  Huge 
is  the  debt  which  philologists  owe  to  the  labors  of  British 
missionaries  in  Africa !  By  evangelists  of  our  own  nation- 
ality nearly  two  hundred  African  languages  and  dialects  have 
been  illustrated  by  grammars,  dictionaries,  vocabularies,  and 
translations  of  the  Bible.  Many  of  these  tongues  were  on  the 
point  of  extinction,  and  have  since  become  extinct,  and  we 
owe  our  knowledge  of  them  solely  to  "the  missionaries'  inter- 
vention." "It  is  they," — the  missionaries,  writes  the  same 
author  in  British  Central  Africa,  "who  in  many  cases  have 
first  taught  the  natives  carpentry,  joinery,  masonry,  tailoring, 
cobbling,    engineering,   bookkeeping,    printing,    and    European 


SUPPLEMENTARY    NOTES.  267 

cookery ;  to  say  nothing  of  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  and 
a  smattering  of  general  knowledge." —  For  illuminating  in- 
struction on  this  phase  of  the  subject  consult  also  Warneck's 
Missionslehre,  vol.  Ill,  parts  1  and  3;  also  the  same  author's 
work,  "Die  gegenseitigen  Beziehungen  zwischen  der  mo- 
dernen  Mission  und  Kultur."  This  work  can  also  be  had  in 
English :  "Modern  Missions  and  Culture,"  translated  by 
Thomas   Smith. 

Note  4.  Page  70.  On  the  meaning  of  "Christianisa- 
tion."  On  this  topic  read  Dr.  Warneck's  very  elaborate  and 
thorough  treatment  in  the  32d  and  33d  chapters  of  volume 
III.  1.  of  his  Missionslehre.  The  following  extracts  are 
typical  of  the  conclusions  in  which  he  summarizes  the  results 
of  his   studies. 

"By  the  term  'Christianization  of  the  nations'  we  accord- 
ingly understand  not  a  general  conversion  of  the  world,  but 
such  a  general  offer  of  salvation  as  zvill  enable  all  the  people 
of  all  nations  to  accept  it,  inasmuch  as  the  seed  of  the  Gos- 
pel is  sown  over  the  entire  field  of  national  life,  and  the 
whole  atmosphere  of  the  nation  is  charged  with  a  Christian 
spirit." 

"What  we  hope  for  as  the  final  accomplishment  of 
Christian  missions  is  not  a  world-embracing  church  in  which 
all  the  members  are  believers,  but  rather  such  a  triumph  of 
Christianity  that  the  power  of  heathenism  as  a  national  re- 
ligion is  everywhere  being  overcome,  and  that  every  nation 
may  be  living  in  such  a  Christian  atmosphere  as  shall  render 
it  possible  for  all  its  people  to  know  the  truth  and  to  accept 
salvation." 

Note  5.  Page  130.  Given  a  missionary  church,  engage- 
ment in  missionary  work  is  the  consequence.  Speer,  in  Mis- 
sionary Principles  and  Practice,  p.  259  ff.  Referring  to  Acts 
13,  1  and  14,  27,  he  mentions  as  conditions  of  success :  a. 
The  Gospel  not  confined  to  the  Jews,  preached  to  Gentiles 
also,  in  the  congregation  at  Antioch ;  b.  The  names  of  proph- 
ets and  teachers  seem  to  indicate  an  absence  of  social 
and  racial  prejudices  which  kill  the  missionary  spirit;  c.  The 
congregation  magnified  Christ,  —  here  the  disciples  were  first 
called  Christians ;  d.  The  congregation  was  given  to  fasting 
and  prayer.     Under  such  conditions  the  call  and  voice  of  the 


268  MISSION    STUDIES. 

Holy  Spirit  could  be  heard  and  would  be  obeyed.  "The 
money  problem  is  not  mentioned,  nor  is  anything  said  of 
organization.  God  and  men,  men  and  God  —  that  is  all. 
That  is  always  all.  Money  and  machinery  are  secondary  to- 
day, as  they  were  then.  We  are  guilty  of  distortion  and 
distrust  and  atheism  when  we  put  them  first." 

Note  6.  Page  138.  Study  of  the  character  and  career 
of  St.  Paul,  the  typical  missionary.  Dr.  Warneck  (Mission 
in  der  Schule)  gives  a  brief  sketch,  of  which  the  following 
are  the  main  thoughts  :  1.  His  preparation  for  missionary 
service :  early  training  and  education,  and  his  conversion ; 
2.  His  call  to  the  service;  3.  Fields  of  labor;  4.  Missionary 
tours ;  5.  The  missionary  means :  the  Word  of  the  cross, 
oral  preaching  and  by  letter ;  6.  The  missionary  aim :  self- 
supporting  congregations;  7.  Missionary  assistants;  8.  Mis- 
sionary sufferings ;  9.  The  secret  of  his  power  as  a  mission- 
ary: a.  The  certainty  of  his  divine  appointment;  b.  his  faith; 
c.  the  love  of  Christ  that  constrained  him ;  d.  prayer.  —  St. 
Paul  was  such  a  complete  missionary  because  he  was  a  com- 
plete Christian,  in  whom  Christ  lived   (Gal.  2,  20). 

Harlan  P.  Beach  (New  Testament  Studies  in  Missions, 
Part  H)  presents  in  outline,  St.  Paul  and  the  Gentile  World. 
1.  The  development  of  Paul,  the  missionary;  2.  Condition 
of  the  Gentile  world  in  St.  Paul's  time;  3.  St.  Paul's  mission- 
ary aims  and  methods ;  4.  St.  Paul  as  a  missionary  teacher ; 
5.  Difficulties  encountered  by  St.  Paul  in  prosecuting  his 
work;  6.  Review  summary:  What  St.  Paul  and  his  asso- 
ciates accomplished  toward  the  evangelization  of  the  Gentile 
world  in   their  generation. 

Note  7.  Page  170.  Self-support  in  mission  fields.  The 
Hermannsburg  Mission  in  Africa  was  started  under  the 
leadership  of  Louis  Harms  a  little  over  half  a  century  ago. 
It  is  instructive  to  note  the  remarks  of  one  of  the  present 
leaders  of  the  Mission,  Director  Egmont  Harms,  who  has 
spent  several  years  in  Africa,  personally  inspecting  the  field 
and  making  improvements  in  its  management.  In  his  report 
of  the  work  for  1906  he  touched  upon  the  question  of  train- 
ing the  native  congregations  in  the  direction  of  self-support. 
"It  is  to  be  regretted,"  he  writes,  "that  we  neglected  to 
give  due   heed  to   this  important   matter   from   the   very  be- 


SUPPLEMENTARY   NOTES.  269 

ginning  of  the  work,  and  it  is  hard  to  make  up  for  what 
has  been  lost."  The  missionaries,  he  says,  have  a  hard  time 
of  it  trying  to  make  plain  to  the  people  that  all  their  contri- 
butions are  applied  to  their  own  welfare.  They  are  still 
suspicious  that  the  missionaries  appropriate  the  money  to 
their  own  use.  "Their  last  argument  is,  'We  are  poor.'  If 
they  would  say  'lazy,'  it  would  be  nearer  the  truth.  And 
yet  we  dare  not  grow  weary  or  give  up;  we  must  train  our 
congregations  to  support  and  maintain  their  churches  and 
schools.  It  is  in  reality  not  a  question  of  money,  but  it 
concerns  a  most  important  method  and  measure  of  educa- 
tion and  culture  that  cannot  be  neglected  without  loss  to 
the  congregations." —  Another  worker  of  experience  puts  the 
matter  thus :  "Self-support  as  regards  church  expenses 
among  native  Christians  should  be  anticipated  and  prepared 
for  at  the  very  earliest  stage."  —  Among  the  principles  to  be 
applied  in  endeavoring  to  solve  the  problem  Robert  E.  Speer 
suggests :  "Men  should  not  be  paid  by  missions  for  doing 
what  they  ought  to  do  as  disciples  freely."  And  again :  "  'As 
little  paid  work  as  necessary,  as  much  work  of  love  and  gift 
as  possible,'  is  a  good  rule."  Missionary  Principles  and 
Practice,  p.  66.  —  Secretary  Brown,  in  The  Foreign  Mission- 
ary, p.  39,  has  this  paragraph :  "Experience  has  shown  that 
a  church  that  is  chiefly  developed  on  foreign  money  is  built 
on  sand,  and  that  when  the  storms  come,  it  does  not  endure. 
In  a  few  fields  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles  to  the  develop- 
ment of  the  native  church  lies  in  the  past  mistaken  use  of 
money.  A  whole  generation  of  dependent  Christians  has 
been  developed,  Christians  who  resent  pressure  towards  self- 
support  as  an  infringement  upon  their  rights  and  who  do 
not  appear  to  realize  their  obligation  to  live  the  Christian 
life  without  being  paid  for  it  by  the  foreigner.  There  are 
indeed  some  fields,  notably  Japan,  where  these  difficulties  do 
not  exist,  and  other  lands,  like  Korea  and  Uganda,  where 
the  policy  of  self-support  has  been  so  followed  from  the  be- 
ginning that  the  native  Christians  have  never  had  an  oppor- 
tunity to  form  the  habit  of  financial  dependence.  But  in 
some  other  fields  the  difficulty  is  keenly  felt."  — All  these 
and  other  experienced  leaders  agree,  however,  that  the  diffi- 
culties are  formidable,  and  that  long  ?.nd  patient  training  is 


270  MISSION    STUDIES. 

required  to  bring  the  average  native  cliurch  upon  a  safe  and 
healthy   self-supporting  basis. 

Note  8.  Page  235.  The  pastor  as  missionary  leader. 
Dr.  Theodor  Christlieb,  in  "Der  gegenwartige  Stand  der 
evangelischen  Heidenmission,"  writes  a  pointed  paragraph  on 
the  conduct  of  pastors  as  missionary  leaders.  He  says : 
"Their  congregations  soon  become  like  them  in  Christian 
works  of  love.  If  the  pastor  concerns  himself  very  little 
about  the  history  of  modern  missions,  if  he  denies  himself 
the  strengthening  of  faith  and  spiritual  quickening  that  come 
to  the  man,  who,  on  his  lonely  post,  is  intent  on  catching 
the  distant  hammer-strokes  of  those  who  are  laboring  on 
the  upbuilding  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  if  he  only  hastily 
looks  at  the  reports  to  see  whether  they  contain  any  material 
for  immediate  use  in  missionary  services,  if  the  latter  are  to 
him  more  an  assigned  task  and  burden  than  a  matter  of 
real  and  hearty  interest,  —  and  the  congregation  is  quick  to 
feel  and  detect  the  difference then  it  will  soon  be- 
come ever  more  difficult  for  him  to  maintain  the  missionary 
interest  even  upon  the  plane  that  has  been  attained,  to  say 
nothing  about  developing  and  enlarging  it  in  accordance  with 
the  needs  of  the  missionary  society."  —  And  John  R.  Mott 
writes :  "It  is  not  a  question  of  the  location  of  the  pastor, 
or  of  his  special  natural  ability.  Wherever  you  find  a  pastor 
with  overflowing  missionary  zeal  and  knowledge,  you  will 
find  an  earnest  missionary  church.  .  .  .  The  missionary 
visitor  may  arouse  temporary  interest.  But  it  is  the  mission- 
ary pastor  who  makes  a  church  a  missionary  power  the  year 
through."  The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions,  p.  50  ff.  — 
"Read  also  the  eighth  address  in  "Was  will  die  innere  Mis- 
sion" by  Harald  Stein. 

A  note-hook  and  scrap-hook.  In  conclusion,  I  would 
suggest  to  the  candidate  of  theology  and  the  young  pastor, 
as  well  as  to  other  interested  workers,  the  advantage  of 
making  arrangements  early  for  the  preservation  and  classi- 
fication of  material,  notes  and  references,  texts  and  helpful 
thoughts  and  illustrations,  so  as  to  have  them  ready  for 
future  use.  When  once  arranged,  such  a  system  can  be 
maintained  with  little  labor,  and  its  helpfulness  will  abun- 
•dantly  repay  the  labor  and  care. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

The  following  list  of  books  is  intended  to  be  suggestive 
and  helpful  to  missionary  workers.  No  effort  has  been  put 
forth  to  make  the  list  extensive.  On  the  contrary,  care  was 
exercised  to  keep  it  within  narrow  limits,  to  select  works 
that  are  representative  and,  in  the  author's  judgment,  best 
adapted  for  the  purpose  which  we  have  tried  to  keep  in  view 
in  "Mission  Studies." 

All  such  works  must  be  read  with  discrimination.  It  is 
not  to  be  expected  that  one  will  agree  with  all  the  opinions 
expressed  by  different  authors.  The  works  are  recommended, 
in  the  main,  for  the  helpful  and  stiumlating  information  which 
they  contain. 

The  classification  is  along  general  lines,  and  these  are 
not  always  entirely  distinct  and  exclusive.  Opinions  will 
vary  as  to  the  class  to  which  some  of  the  books  belong.  To 
make  the  list  as  helpful  as  possible  we  have  added  the  price 
of  the  books  according  to  catalogues  that  were  accessible. 

In  order  to  make  the  list  complete,  in  alphabetical  order 
according  to  authors,  the  titles  of  the  books  given  on  pages 
21   to  2.3  are  repeated   here  in  abbreviated   form. 

I.     Foreign   Missions. 
Theoretical  and  Homiletical. 

Adams,  James  Edward.     The  Missionary  Pastor.     Helps  for 

developing  the  missionary  life  in  his  church,     75  cents. 

Many  subjects,  outlines  and  suggestions  for  missionary 

addresses  and  meetings. 
Beach,    Harlan    P.      New   Testament    Studies   in   Missions. 

Pamphlet.       15   cents. 
Begrich,   F.     Missionsgedanken  aus  den  altkirchlichen  evan- 

gelischen    Perikopen.      75    cents.     Very   suggestive    and 

helpful. 
Brown,  Arthur  J.     The  Foreign  Missionary. 

(271) 


272  MISSION    STUDIES. 

BucKLAND,  A.  R.  and  J.  D.  Mullins.  The  Missionary  Speak- 
er's Manual.  A  Handbook  for  Deputations  and  Workers- 
$1.25.     Outlines   for  addresses,    illustrations,   etc. 

DiETEL,  R.   W.     Missionsstunden.     $3.35. 

Grundemann",  R.     Missionsstudien  und  -Kritiken, 

Hesse,  J.  Die  Mission  auf  der  Kanzel.  Texte,  Themata, 
Dispositionen  und  Quellennachweise  fiir  Missionsvor- 
trage.     $1.00.     Full  of  valuable  material. 

Lawrence,  Edward  A.  Introduction  to  the  Study  of  For- 
eign Missions. 

Maclear,  G.  F.     Missions  and  Apostles  of  Medieval  Europe. 

Martin,  Chalmers.     Apostolic  and  Modern  Missions. 

MoTT,  John  R.  The  Evangelization  of  the  World  in  this 
Generation.  1900.  $1.00.  Full  of  pertinent  facts  and 
valuable   information. 

MoTT,  John  R.     The  Pastor  and  Modern  Missions. 

Non-Christian  Religions  of  the  World.  Selected  from 
Living  Papers  Series.     $1.00. 

Speer,  Robert  E.     Missionary  Principles  and  Practice. 

Schlier,  J.  Missionsstunden.  Five  small  volumes.  $3.40. 
Models  for  popular  presentation  of  the  subject. 

Thompson,  Augustus  C.  Foreign  Missions.  Their  Place 
in  the  Pastorate,  in  Prayer,  in  Conferences.  Ten  Lec- 
tures. 1889.  $1.75.  A  source  of  information  and  stimu- 
lation to  pastors. 

Tiesmeyer,  L.  und  Zauleck,  p.  Wie  man  Kindern  den  Hei- 
land  zeigt.  Eine  Sammlung  von  Predigten  und  An- 
sprachen,  vor  Kindern  gehalten.    $1.20.    Helpful  models. 

Wegner,  R.  Einzelziige  aus  der  Arbeit  der  Rheinischen  Mis- 
sion. Ein  Handbuch  fiir  Missionsansprachen.  $1.35. 
Illustrations  from  the  experience  and  work  of  the  mis- 
sionaries. 

Warneck,  G.  Die  gegenwartigen  Beziehungen  zwischen  der 
modernen  Mission  und  Kultur.  $1.50.  Modern  Missions 
and  Culture.     Translated  by  Thomas  Smith. 

Warneck,  G.  Die  Mission  in  der  Schule.  Ein  Handbuch 
fiir  den  Lehrer.     $1.00. 

Warneck,   G.     Evangelische   Missionslehre. 

Warneck,  G.  Missionsstunden.  3  vols.  $1.65  and  $1.90,  each. 
In  the   author's  thorough  and   masterly  style. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  273 


Historical. 


Bliss.  Edwin  M.     A  Concise  History  of  Missions. 

Brain,  Belle  M.  Missionary  Readings  for  Missionary  Pro- 
grams. 60  cents.  Narratives  selected  from  missionary 
literature.     Twenty-five  readings. 

Christlieb,  Theodor.  Der  gegenwartige  Stand  der  evan- 
gelischen  Heidenmission.  1880.  70  cents.  Old,  but  still 
valuable.  English  translation,  title:  Protestant  Foreign 
Missions, 

Dennis,  James  S.     Foreign  Missions  after  a  Century. 

Dennis,  James  S.  Christian  Missions  and  Social  Progress. 
3  vols.  $2.50  each.  Social  Evils  of  the  Non-Christian 
World,  reprinted  from  vol.  I.     Paper,  35  cents. 

Gareis,  R.     Geschichte   der  evangelischen  Heidenmission. 

Grundemann,  R.  Burkhardt's  Kleine  Missions-Bibliothek. 
$9.00. 

Gundert,   H.     Die   Evangelische   Mission.     $1.00. 

Laury,  Preston  A.  A  History  of  Lutheran  Missions.  Sec- 
ond edition,  $1.25. 

Liggins,  John.  The  Great  Value  and  Success  of  Foreign 
Missions.     75  cents. 

Lowe,  John.  Medical  Missions.  Their  Place  and  Power. 
$1.50. 

Merensky,  a.  Erinnerungen  aus  dem  Missionsleben  in  Siid- 
ost  Afrika.     $2.00. 

Pierson,  Arthur  T.  The  Miracles  of  Missions.  4  vols. 
$1.00  each.     Short  sketches  from  the  history  of  missions. 

Pierson,  Arthur  T.  The  New  Acts  of  the  Apostles.     $1.60. 

Plitt,  G.  Geschichte  der  ev.  lutherischen  Mission.  Neu  von 
O.   Hardeland.     $3.50. 

Richter,  Julius.  Indische  Missionsgeschichte.  1906.  About 
$2.50.  Most  complete  and  excellent  history  of  missions- 
in  India. 

Smith,    George.     Short   History   of   Christian   Missions. 

Strl'empfel,  Emil.  Was  jedermann  heute  von  der  Mission 
wissen  muss.     55  cents. 

Thoburn,  James  M.  The  Christian  Conquest  of  India, 
Cloth,  50  cents. 

Thompson,  A.  E.     A  Century  of  Jewish  Missions.    $1.00. 


274  MISSION   STUDIES. 

Thompson,  A.  C.     Moravian  Missions.     $2.00. 

Thompson,    A.    C.      Protestant    Missions ;     Their    Rise    and 

Early  Progress.     50  cents. 
Warneck,  G.     Abriss  einer  Geschichte,  etc.     $2.00.     Also  in 

English :     Outline    of    the    History    of    Protestant    Mis- 


sions. 


Biographical. 


Biographies,  Missionary  Series,  published  by  Fleming  H. 
Revell  Co.,  at  75  cents  each.  There  are  21  biographies 
and  sketches  in  the  series,  including  Moffatt,  Carey,  Mor- 
rison, Patteson,   Crowther,  Williams,  Martyn,   Brainerd. 

Blaikie,  W.  Garden.  The  Personal  Life  of  David  Living- 
stone.    $L50. 

Creegan,  Charles  C.  Pioneer  Missionaries  of  the  Church. 
26  short  sketches.     $L25. 

Dalton,    H.      Lebensbild    von   Joh.    Evang.   Gossner. 

EiCHNER,  Karl.     Wilhelm  Loehe.     60  cents. 

Groessel,  W.  Justinianus  von  Weltz,  der  Vorkaempfer  der 
lutherischen   Mission.     $L00. 

Harms,  Theodor.  Lebensbeschreibung  des  Pastor  Louis 
Harms.     45  cents. 

Paton,  John  G.  Missionary  to  the  New  Hebrides.  An 
Autobiography.  One  volume.  $L50.  A  most  inspiring 
narrative,    full   of    instructive   lessons. 

Paton,  Frank  H.  L.  Lomai  of  Lenakel.  A  Hero  of  the 
New  Hebrides.  A  fresh  chapter  in  the  triumph  of  the 
Gospel.     $L50. 

Roemer,  H.  Die  Indianer  und  ihr  Freund  David  Zeisberger. 
50  cents. 

Sherwood,   J.    M.     Memoirs   of   David    Brainerd.     $1.50. 

Smith.  George.     Life  of  William  Carey. 

Smith  George.     Life  of  Alexander  Duff. 

Smith,  George.     Henry  Martyn.     $1.50. 

Wallmann,  Leiden  und  Freuden  rheinischer  Missionare. 
$1.25. 

H.     Home  and  Inner  Missions. 

Clark,  Joseph  B.  Leavening  the  Nation.  The  Story  of 
American  Home  Missions.     $1.50. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY.  275 

De  Liefde,  John.     The  Romance  of  Charity.     1867. 

Grose,  Howard  B.     The  Incoming  Millions.     50  cents. 

Hennig,  Martin.  Taten  Jesu  in  unseren  Tagen.  Skizzen 
und  Bilder  aus  der  Arbeit  der  Inneren  und  ausseren 
Mission.  $1.25.  Very  interesting  and  instructive 
sketches. 

Hennig,  M.     Dr.  Joh.  Hinr.  Wicherns  Lebenswerk.    75  cents. 

Hertzberg,  Gustav.  F.  August  Hermann  Francke  und  sein 
Hallisches  Waisenhaus.     75  cents. 

Morris,  S.  L.  At  Our  Own  Door.  A  Study  of  Home  Mis- 
sions with  special  reference  to  the  South  and  West. 
$1.00. 

Ohl,  J.  F.  and  C  Theodore  Benze.  The  Inner  Mission:  A 
Handbook  for  Christian  Workers.  This  work  (in 
preparation)  expects  to  cover  the  history  and  present 
fields  of  the  inner  mission  work,  with  particular  refer- 
ence  also   to   conditions   in   this   country. 

Rhiem,  Hanna.     Hinter  den  Mauern  der  Senana.     60  cents. 

ScHAEFER,  Theodor.  Die  Innere  Mission  in  der  Schule.  Ein 
Handbuch  fur  den  Lehrer.     $1.00. 

Schaefer,  Theodor.     Leitfaden  der  Inneren  Mission.     $2.00. 

Stein,  Harald.  Was  will  die  innere  Mission?  Acht  Vor- 
trage.     50   cents. 

Stelzle,  Charles.  Christianity's  Storm  Centre.  The  mod- 
ern city.     $1.00. 

Sutter,  Julie.  A  Colony  of  Mercy.  $1.00.  Interesting  de- 
scription of  the  charities  at  Bielefeld,  under  the  leader- 
ship and  direction  of  Bodelschwingh. 

Uhlhorn,  G.  Die  christliche  Liebestatigkeit  1.  in  der  alten 
Kirche;  2.  im  Mittelalter;  3.  seit  der  Reformation.  3. 
vols.    $3.00  each. 

Wacker,  Emil.  The  Deaconess  Calling.  Translated  by  E. 
A.  Endlich.     50  cents. 

Warne,  F.  G.  George  Miiller,  the  Apostle  of  Faith.  75 
cents. 

Wurster,  p.  Die  Lehre  von  der  Inneren  Mission.  A  work 
of  408  pages. 

Wurster,  p.  und  M.  Hennig.  Was  jedermann  heute  von 
der  Inneren  Mission  wissen  muss.     70  cents. 


276  MISSION   STUDIES. 

Philanthropic   Movements. 

The  following  are  examples  of  books  which,  while  they 

do   not   belong  to   the  sphere   of   inner  missions   proper,   are 

instructive  and  helpful  for  the  work : 

Chapman,  J.  Wilbur.  S.  H.  Hadley  of  Water  Street.  $1.25. 
A  typical  example  of  rescue  mission  work  in  the  slum 
district    of    New    York. 

CoATES,  Thomas  F.  G.  The  Prophet  of  the  Poor.  The 
Life-story  of  Gen.  Booth.  $1.00.  A  good  presentation 
of  the  work  and  the  confessional  position  of  the  Sal- 
vation Army. 

Strong,  Josiah.     Our  Country.     Cloth,  60  cents. 

Strong.  Josiah.  The  Twentieth  Century  City.  Cloth,  50 
cents. 

Missionary  Periodicals. 

Every  missionary  library  ought  to  be  supplemented  with 
the    best    obtainable    missionary    periodicals.      The    following 
will  be  found  to  be  serviceable  and  helpful  in  the  fields  they 
cover : 
The  Missionary  Review  of  the  World.    Dr.  A.  T.  Pierson, 

editor.     $2.50. 
Allgemeine  Missions-Zeitschrift.     Dr.  G.  Warneck.    $2.50. 
Die  Evangelischen  Missionen.     Dr.  Julius  Richter.     $1.00. 
Die     Innere     Mission     im     evangelischen     Deutschland. 
$1.50. 


INDEX 


Abraham,  call  of,  and  promise  given  him,  87f. 
Acceptable  to  God,  Acts  10,  35,  explained,  127. 
Acts  of  the  Apostles,  missionary  thoughts  in  the,  115ff. ;  out- 
line of  the  book,  117f. ;  first  part  of,  119ff. ;  second  part 

of,   129ff. 
Administration   of  the   work,   by   independent   societies,   o9f. ; 

by  the  Church,  61f. 
Aim    of    missions,    in    general,    67ff. ;    how    determined,    72f. ; 

more    fully   explained,    74ff. ;    in   home    missions,    188ff. ; 

in  rescue  and  inner  mission  work,  212. 
Apostles,   the,   immediate   call   of,   56f. ;   import   of  the   name, 

105. 
Apostolic  missions,  the  providence  of  God  in,   154ff. 
Authority  for  mission  work,  divine,  54fTf. ;  churchly,  oSfif. 
Bibliography,  271ff. 

Biographies,   missionary,   advantages  to  be  derived   from,  52. 
Catechetical  class  and  missions,  241f. 
Christianity   and  missions,  36f. 
Christianization,  defined,  74ff.,  267. 
Church,  the,  duty  to  supply  workmen,  63ff. ;   to  support  the 

missionaries,    65f . ;    missionary    character   of,    148f.,    267. 
City  churches  and  inner  mission  work,  219ff. 
City   missions,   222ff. 
Civilization  and  culture,  result,  not  the  aim  of  missions,  67f. ; 

larger  results  of  this  kind,  68f.,  265ff. ;  value  of,  69fif. 
Commission  of  the  workmen,  divine,  56ff. ;   churchly,  58ff. 
Commission,  the  Great,  lllff. 

Co-operation,  importance  of,  in  mission  work,  236f. 
Doctrinal   ground   of   missions,    explained,    139ff. ;    illustrated 

in  particular  doctrines,   141fif. 
Duty,  of   the  Church  in  regard  to  missionaries,  63ff. ;  trial  in 

the  path  of,  121. 
Educational  institutions  and  missions,  35,  237f. 

(277) 


278  MISSION    STUDIES. 

Evangelistics,  use  and  meaning  of  the  term,  30. 

Evangelization  and  Christianization  practically  equivalent,  75f. 

Fields,  white  to  harvest,  107;  for  home  mission  work,  185ff. ; 
for   inner   mission   work,   210,   214ff. 

God's  hand  in  missions,  152ff. 

Gospels,  missionary  thoughts  in  the,  97ff. 

Historical  ground  of  missions,  152ff. 

Home  missions,  relation  of,  to  other  activities  of  the  Church, 
181ff. ;  and  general  benevolence,  184;  field  of,  185ff. ;  the 
aim  of,  188ff. ;  forces  to  be  enlisted  in  the  work,  191ff. ; 
conditions  of  success  in,  I94ff. ;  means  and  methods,  196ff. 

Individual  effort,  importance  of,  234. 

Inner  missions,  distinctive  character  of  the  work,  203f. ;  re- 
lation to  home  missions,  204ff. ;  survey  of  the  history  of, 
207ff. ;  justification  of,  211;  the  aim  distinguished  from 
the  methods,  212f . ;  principal  lines  of  work ;  congrega- 
tional, 214ff. ;  institutional,  224ff. 

Inner  mission  societies,  222ff. 

Jonah,  an  Old  Testament  missionary,  93. 

Justification  by  faith,  missionary  bearing  of  the  doctrine,  144ff. 

Kingdom  of  God,  as  a  missionary  thought,  99ff. 

Leadership,  of  the  missionary,  51f. ;  of  the  pastor,  234f.,  270. 

Library,  missionary,   for  pastor  and  people,  258. 

Life,  the  missionary,  its  character,  227ff. ;  its  development:  in 
the  Church  at  large,  233ff.,  in  the  congregation,  239ff. 

Literary  work  in  missions,  172f. ;  in  home  missions,  201 ;  in 
inner  missions,  226. 

Literature,  Christian,  distribution  of,  172,  201,  226,  252. 

Literature  of  missions,  historical  and  theoretical,  21ff. ;  Bibli- 
ography, p.  271ff. 

Lutheran  Church,  Christian  education  in  the,  199f. ;  home 
mission  work,  183f. ;   inner  mission  work,  223f. 

Macedonian  cry,  the,  133. 

Means  to  be  employed,   163ff. ;  the  Word  of  God,   165f. 

Medical  missions,   173f. 

Men  and  missions,  254f. 

Methods  of  work,  in  foreign  missions,  167ff. ;  in  home  mis- 
sions, 196ff. ;    in  inner  missions,  214fif. 

Missionaries,  how  sent  forth,  57ff. 

Missionary   enterprise,   the,   39;   its   unity  and   diversity,   39ff. 


INDEX.  219 

Missionary  services,  247fif. 

Missionary  societies,  independent,  59f. 

Missionary  tours  of  St.  Paul :  the  first  tour,  129 ;  the  second,. 
132;    the  third,  134. 

Mission  festival,  the  annual,  250ff. 

Missions,  home,  inner,  and  foreign,  defined,  40. 

Mission  study,  in  classes,  or  in  societies,  252f. 

Mission  work,  ground  of,  79ff. 

Modern  missions,  God's  hand  in,  157flf. 

Motives,  missionary,  80f. ;  summary  of,  161. 

New  Testament,  missionary  thoughts  in,  97ff. 

Offerings,  missionary,  system  in  the  gathering  of,  255ff. 

Old  Testament,  missionary  thoughts  in,  82ff. 

Parochial  schools  and  missions,   199ff,  242f. 

Prayer  and  missions,  258f. 

Prophecy  in  the  Old  Testament,  missionary  bearing,  SSff. 

Providential  leading,  93ff.,  I52ff. ;  illustrated  in  the  history  of 
missions,  154ff. 

Psalms,  missionary  thoughts  in  the,  90f. 

Qualifications  of  the  missionary,  47ff.,  264f. 

Reflex  influence  of  missions,  149ff.,  227ff, 

Saint  Paul,  a  typical  missionary,  129ff.,  268. 

Schools,  mission,  170ff. ;  in  home  mission  work,  198ff. ;  for 
inner  mission  workers,  224. 

Science  of  missions,  19ff. ;  scientific  names  of,  29ff. ;  develop- 
ment of,  24f. 

Self-support,  the  ultimate  aim  of  missions,  169f.,  189f.,  268ff. 

Sermon,  missionary  thoughts  in  the,  243ff. 

Son  of  Man,  the,  missionary  bearing  of  this  name  of  Christ,, 
103ff. 

Sunday  schools  and  missions,  240f. 

Supplementary  notes,  263ff. 

Support  of  the  missionaries,  65f. 

Theology  and  missions,  32ff. 

Words  of  Christ,  missionary  thoughts  in  the,  97ff, 


Princeton   Theological  Semin,iry-Speer 


1    1012  01121   0814 


DATE  DUE 


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